Comfort in the Night
by pleasant-hell
Summary: She did it for Quinn. Quinn needed it. Quinn needed to feel in control. Quinn needed the power.
1. Chapter 1

Rachel knew why she did this. She did it for Quinn. Quinn needed it. Quinn needed to feel in control. Quinn needed the power. Rachel liked it. She liked Quinn's harsh commands with the contradicting tender touches. She liked seeing the blonde climb through her window a couple a times a week before sneaking back out. She liked the few lingering seconds after they finished that Quinn would just look at her. Those were the times Rachel fooled herself into thinking that Quinn loved her.

"Take your clothes off," Quinn quirked an eyebrow as she dropped a duffel bag by the window and walked to the door to lock it.

Rachel did as she was told and put her neatly folded clothes on the nightstand.

Quinn licked her lips at Rachel's lean body. She loved the tan color and how it was always smooth despite an unfortunate nickname she had saddled the poor girl with a few months prior. "Lay down."

Again the songstress did was she was told, resting her head against her pillow.

The blonde ran her fingers lightly over the skin of Rachel's stomach recognizing the marks she left when she was there the night before. Quinn Fabray hickeys were hard to get rid of and impossible to forget. Quinn had marked her territory. Rachel was hers.

Quinn dropped her jacket on the floor and stripped off her white cami, leaving her gray running shorts. She paused to look at herself in Rachel's vanity. She had to say she was pleased with her post baby body that she'd honed back to near perfection. Then she swung her leg on the other side of Rachel, straddling the brunette. She leaned down and pressed their bodies together, her lips claiming Rachel's, biting and sucking on them until they were swollen and flushed.

The blonde rolled her hips forward and closed her eyes as she started to grind them together.

Rachel's hands went to Quinn's back, caressing the skin under her fingertips. At first she was hesitant to even touch Quinn. However she'd found out that touching certain places on the blonde was permitted.

Quinn brought her hand up to Rachel's nipple. The diva moaned as Quinn rolled the sensitive nub between her fingers. The pleasure and the pain she was getting from this was an incredible turn on.

"You're mine," Quinn growled against Rachel's lips, "Got it?"

Rachel slowly opened her eyes and looked into Quinn's eyes as she nodded. Her back arched as Quinn squeezed her nipple again.

"You do _not _belong to Jesse," Quinn moved down Rachel's body and flicked her tongue over the nipple she'd been taunting. Then she moved to the other one, taking it into her mouth and sucking hard.

"Only you," Rachel panted, resisting the urge to wrap her fingers in Quinn's hair. Instead she tucked them under her pillow.

Quinn moved down and kissed around Rachel's stomach as she started to lightly stroke Rachel's opening with her thumb. "You do _not _belong to Puck."

Rachel knew she was supposed to answer, but she was biting her lip to keep from moaning loud enough to wake her dads. Finally Quinn looked up, practically forcing her to answer with an intense gaze. Rachel finally panted, "I'm yours."

Quinn came back up and captured Rachel's lips again as she eased two fingers into the shorter girl. Rachel clutched the pillow under her head trying not to make any noises. Quinn trailed kisses down her jaw and on the hollow of her throat, the only part of Rachel's body Quinn wouldn't mark. She cherished the beautiful instrument and showered Rachel's neck with gentle kisses. "You do _not_ belong to Finn."

The tender kisses teamed with the way Quinn's fingers were started to pick up the pace were about to send Rachel over the edge. She knew that she had to affirm Quinn's statement before the blonde would allow that to happen though.

"Just you," Rachel closed her eyes and watched as Quinn let out a smug smirk.

The blonde let her thumb brush against Rachel's clit seeming accidentally before she did it again. The sight of Rachel coming was something that Quinn loved and she wasn't sure she could delay it anymore. So she added a third finger and pumped faster.

Rachel's back arched and she bit her lip, trying to keep a scream in. Instead she whispered, "Oh god Quinn." The strained look of pleasure all over Rachel's body turned Quinn on more than everything else put together.

As soon as Rachel could breathe again, she sat up and got onto her knees. She knew the drill. Although her legs were still unsteady because of the mind-erasing orgasm Quinn just settled over her, she was still doing this for Quinn.

She quickly ridded Quinn of her cotton shorts and wasted no time teasing the blonde. Her mouth clamped down on the blonde's clit and Quinn had to put a pillow over her face to muffle the moan. After a few weeks of this, Rachel knew all of the things she could do to drive Quinn crazy. Rachel ran her tongue up Quinn's slit, moaning at how wet Quinn had become.

It didn't take long for Quinn to climax. When she did, Rachel helped her ride it out to the fullest before rolling onto her back. She tilted her head up and saw Quinn's chest rise and fall as she tried to catch her breath.

Rachel fought a smile. She was the only one that got to see Quinn like this and it seemed like a huge privilege. Quinn, for the moment, was unguarded and vulnerable.

However, the moment passed. Quinn rolled out of the bed and got dressed again. Rachel wanted to open her mouth and stop her from leaving, but couldn't make a sound. She just watched as Quinn put her clothes back on and soundlessly hopped opened the window.

The blonde glanced over her shoulder at Rachel who was moving up her bed to the pillow. As she settled her head on the pillow, Rachel looked back at her. At the look, Quinn swallowed hard and her chest felt like it was going to cave in on itself. Not only did Rachel look beautiful, she also looked concerned. That was not something she expected from the diva. After what they had been doing for the past few weeks, she expected something akin to indifference or apathy. After all she was using Rachel and they both knew it.

Quinn finally looked away and hopped out of the window, dropping to the ground with a dull thud. She didn't even bother to close the window. She just walked to her car that was parked at the park down the street. She always felt predatory before she got to Rachel's house. Then when she got there, she felt safe and content. However when she felt, she always felt like shit.


	2. Chapter 2

Rachel always averted her eyes when Quinn and Finn were in the same room. She didn't feel like she could look at either one of them. She felt guilty about her relationship with both of them. Of course Quinn knew about Finn, but Finn had no idea what she and Quinn did in the night.

She didn't really need to feel guilty about being with Finn because it wasn't like she and Quinn were in a real sort of relationship. It was just physical and completely a secret. They didn't even talk about keeping it a secret. It was their unspoken rule.

That led her back to thinking about how it all started. One day, a few weeks ago, she and Quinn were assigned a duet. Both girls were disappointed with who they drew out of the hat of partners. Rachel was convinced that Santana had somehow rigged it because she always drew Brittany's name. Rachel decided that she needed to figure out how Santana did it and start rigging it herself.

So Quinn went to Rachel's house that evening and something happened. After half an hour of rehearsing lust filled eyes led to passionate kisses, which led to naked exploration. Then Quinn left the second they were finished. They'd been repeating the pattern sans the rehearsal ever since. They did have a hard time explaining to Mr. Schue why they weren't ready for their duet the next day though.

"Hey Barbara," Santana sneered, "What the hell are you staring at?"

Rachel snapped out of her thoughts. She realized that she had accidentally been staring at Brittany, who looked a little creeped out. "I-I'm sorry. I just…zoned out." She looked to Finn who as usual was silent when there was a chance to defend her. She knew it had to get really bad for him to stop being scared of losing his reputation to defend her. She sighed and looked down at her hands.

Santana opened her mouth again, but Brittany distracted her by taking the head Cheerio's hand and using a pen to write on her palm.

Rachel chanced a glance at Quinn. The blonde was flirting hardcore with the new guy. Rachel sighed. Sure Sam was kinda cute in a fake surfer guy sort of way, but he and Quinn looked way too much alike to be dating.

"You okay?" Finn asked Rachel quietly.

She nodded automatically, "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Do you want to go to a movie tonight?" he asked sweetly, offering a tentative smile.

Rachel couldn't help, but smile back when he was being like that. "Yeah I'd love to." She paused, her eyes flickering to Quinn whose eyes were boring into her. She knew she shouldn't have looked over at the freshly minted Cheerio and as soon as their eyes met, Rachel's eyes shot away. She added to Finn in a low voice, "But I have to be back before ten."

"I thought your curfew was midnight on the weekend," he looked slightly confused.

Rachel thought quickly and made up an excuse, "There's a Natalie Wood marathon on the classic film channel, starting at ten. Me and my daddy are going to stay up all night and watch it."

"Oh okay," Finn nodded, "Well we'll go see a right after school then."

"Perfect," Rachel smiled her signature dazzling smile. That would give them time to go eat something afterward and she'd still have enough time to shower and change before Quinn arrived.

Her eyes once again moved to Quinn who was donning a smug smirk as she talked to Sam. However, her green eyes met Rachel's for a brief, charged second. Something in her eyes told Rachel that Quinn knew that she lied and why she did it. She let out a suggestive quirk of an eyebrow before turning to Mr. Schue who was calling the club's attention.

Quinn bit her nails as she waited in her car. She looked at the park that was lit up by streetlights in the dark. She glanced behind her, in the direction of Rachel's house, not sure what she was expecting to see. When she stared at the empty street for a few minutes, she looked at the clock on the dashboard of her car.

She waited until she couldn't wait anymore. Quinn got out of her car, taking nothing but her keys. When she got to Rachel's house she saw that the windows facing the street were still lit, indicating that Rachel's dads had yet to go to bed. However, Quinn couldn't wait anymore. She stealthily trotted to Rachel's window and pushed it open. It took little effort from Quinn to hop onto the ledge and into the room. When she looked around the room, Rachel wasn't waiting for her in the bed.

Quinn fully entered the room and closed the window behind her. When she heard the shower running and Rachel singing in the bathroom, Quinn grinned to herself. This was going to be a lot of fun.

When Rachel got out of the shower, she towel dried her hair before letting it fall around her shoulders and then wrapped the towel around herself. She opened the bathroom door and frowned. She was sure that she left her bedroom light on when she went into the bathroom.

With a heavy sigh, she walked into the bedroom. She did not want to have to change the light bulb. It required a stood and having to go into the kitchen to get the light bulb. She hadn't been planning on leaving her room for the rest of the night.

As she walked in the darkness, a scent caught her nose and caused her to freeze. She knew that smell and she closed to eyes to let the scent wash over her. Then she looked over at the window. She left it cracked before getting into the shower and now it was closed all the way.

Rachel felt two hands whisper over the towel that was hovering over her hips. She gasped at the touch although she knew who it was.

The hands moved so smoothly that they seemed to not belong to the rest of a person. One hand pulled at the front of the towel causing it to come loose and pool around Rachel's feet.

Finally Quinn pressed her body against Rachel's back slowly running her hands up and down Rachel's torso. Quinn felt goose bumps appear on Rachel's skin and smiled as she lowered her lips to Rachel's bare shoulder. She mumbled against the skin, "Did I surprise you?"

"Mhmm," Rachel moaned as Quinn cupped her breasts.

The blonde smirked and turned Rachel around. Her lips easily found Rachel's in the dark. She kissed the shorter girl, harder and more needy than usual. Rachel was surprised by it and stumbled backwards. Quinn followed her back, not letting their lips part until Rachel's back hit the wall.

"My….my dads are still awake," Rachel said breathlessly.

"Then you better be quiet," Quinn moved her lips down Rachel's neck, gently nibbling at the skin. One of her hands ran down Rachel's waist to the top of the tan legs. In one swift movement, Quinn lifted up the leg and leaned into Rachel.

Rachel sharply inhaled, "Oh god Quinn…"

"Keep it there," Quinn ordered and slid her other hand between them until it reached Rachel's opening. The blonde teased Rachel, grazing the wetness that had accumulated there.

"Do you want it?" Quinn whispered into Rachel's ear. She could feel Rachel's breathing change and she could have sworn that she could feel Rachel's heart pounding between them.

The shorter girl closed her eyes, "Yes."

"What do you say?" Quinn smirked and moved her free hand up to Rachel's left nipple, squeezing it.

Rachel yelped at the sudden sensation then begged as she panted. "Please Quinn."

The second those words left her lips, Quinn plunged two fingers into Rachel as far as she could before rapidly pumping in and out. There were few things in the world as beautiful as Rachel when her head was thrown back and her back was arched trying to soak up as much pleasure as possible.

A compliment was rolling around in Quinn's mouth, but never made it past her lips. Instead, when Rachel's whole body tensed and shuddered as she came, Quinn let her ride it out before dragging Rachel to the bed to do it again.

An hour later, Rachel stretched as she licked the last of the taste of Quinn from her fingers. She hummed as she did it, not really realizing it.

Quinn watched her do it and a familiar ache started to grow between her legs. She knew she should probably leave so that if her mom had realized she was gone that she wouldn't be in too much trouble. Too much trouble meant being grounded and being grounded meant no car and that meant no late night visits to Rachel and that simply would not do.

The blonde rolled out of the bed and quickly put on her clothes. When she unlocked the window, she wished that she had brought more clothes. The window was cold which meant it was freezing outside. When she opened the window her suspicions were confirmed when she was met with a cold blast of air.

Her hesitation at the window was unusual, but it hadn't been this cold in Lima in a while. She felt something rest on her shoulder and turned her head to the side. She saw Rachel with a sheet wrapped around her smoothing out the coat she had just put on Quinn's shoulders.

"I don't know where you parked or anything, but it's too cold to go out in just what you're wearing," Rachel softly explained, a tinge of concern in her voice. "Take my coat."

Quinn looked back at Rachel, her chest growing tight. She searched Rachel's eyes, not knowing what she was looking for. When she regained her bearings Quinn slowly nodded before putting her arms through the sleeves and hopping out the window into the night.

By the time Quinn got to her car, she was in tears. She sat in the driver's seat, playing with the keys in her hand trying to decide where these strange emotions were coming from. She sniffled and wiped her eyes, giving up for the time being. Right then, she needed to get home.


	3. Chapter 3

Quinn felt her jaw clench when Rachel referred to her and Sam as Ken and Barbie. She swallowed the slight twinge of hurt and quipped back. "You used to be just unlikable, but I pretty much feel like punching you every time you open your mouth."

Rachel felt a dull pain shoot through her chest before Santana dropped the bomb. It was all Rachel could do not to run out of the room in tears and to make matters worse she could feel Quinn's eyes on her. As soon as Brittany and Mike started dancing, she sat in her chair and stared at the floor trying to clear her mind.

Rachel turned to Finn and asked the one question she had to know, "Why her? Quinn I'd understand, but Santana?"

Finn glanced back at Santana who had narrowed her eyes at them, her entire focus on them. Brittany shot a panicked look from Santana to Rachel, trying to decide who needed protection. Quinn tried not to look interested at all, but when she heard her name her attention was trapped.

"Let's not do this here," Finn whispered, trying to calm Rachel down.

By that time she'd had enough. She stormed out in true Rachel Berry fashion, not even pausing to hope that someone would come after her.

After her failed counseling session with Finn, Rachel took to wandering the halls with during her study hall period. As she passed the glee room Rachel spotted the two inseparable Cheerios. She sighed and knew she'd been mean to Santana and although the Cheerio was usually mean to her, Rachel didn't enjoy being as vicious as she was earlier.

She tentatively stepped into the room and started walking toward them. She was met with the usual angry greeting, "What the hell do you want?" Santana just glared at her.

"I wanted to apologize," Rachel folded her hands in front of her and looked down, "I didn't mean what I said about you. I know you dislike being compared to Quinn."

Santana sniffled as quietly as she could and stood up, "Whatever." She looked down at Brittany who was looking down at her hands, "C'mon let's get out of here."

Brittany slowly rose and followed Santana away from the chairs. She paused by Rachel and whispered so that only Rachel could hear. "She's not a slut like everyone thinks. And maybe she saved you some trouble. She told me he was horrible in bed." With that she scampered after Santana, leaving Rachel alone in the choir room.

So after Rachel anonymously nominated Santana for the sectionals solo she went home. She needed to take a long bath to sort everything out in her head.

A knock sounded on Rachel's door after she'd gotten out of the bath and had put on a DVD as she was feigning doing her homework. She figured it was one of her dads bringing up a sweater she forgot or something so she called, "C'min."

The door slowly opened. Rachel barely looked away from her movie at first. However, the girl standing in the doorway caught her attention.

Before Rachel could ask any questions, Quinn added, "Your dad let me in. He looked kinda surprised when I asked to see you."

Rachel quietly replied, "Not many people come see me…W-what are you doing here?" She didn't mean it in a mean way. She was just not used to seeing Quinn in her room while it was still light outside.

"I dunno," Quinn shrugged. She didn't really know why she came over. She just had a bad day and wanted to see Rachel before it got dark outside. She also wanted to check on the shorter day who had an even more public bad day. She fidgeted with her Cheerio letter jacket, searching for a good lie.

"Well, I'm watching a movie and pretending to do my homework," Rachel gestured to the laptop in the middle of the bed, "Do you wanna watch it with me?"

The blonde nodded and walked over to the bed. It was familiar by now, but the bed seemed so different when the lights were on. Rachel closed her textbook and set it on the nightstand Quinn carefully laid down on the soft surface and slid one of her arms under a pillow before laying her head on it so she could see the screen. It was definitely not a movie Quinn recognized. "What movie is it?"

"Gilda," Rachel settled down on the bed and watched the black and white characters advance through the plot.

"What's happening?" Quinn asked.

Rachel reached forward on her laptop and started the movie over, "It's worth watching the whole thing."

As the movie went on, the light in the room grew dim with the setting sun. Rachel had finally gotten up to close the curtains once the glare on the screen got too big. Quinn paused it so Rachel wouldn't miss anything.

"She's kinda nuts," Quinn commented as Rachel sat back down.

The diva smiled and nodded, "Yeah."

Suddenly, Rachel was nervous. She'd never really hung out with Quinn before. What if she did something stupid and Quinn never came back? What if she looked different in the light and Quinn would never want to touch her again?

She nervously ran a hand through her hair and straightened out her shirt. Quinn looked up at her and quirked an eyebrow, "What are you doing?"

"I-I-I," Rachel stuttered for an answer, but couldn't manage to choke one out. So she said something she'd wanted to say all day. "I'm sorry I called you Barbie."

Quinn chuckled and after a pause she sat up to shed her Cheerio jacket. "Do you have any scarves?"

Rachel wondered where this was going, "Yeah. I have a bunch of them."

The blonde stood up and closed the laptop; picking it up and moving it to the nightstand, "Get your favorite two."

The tone of Quinn's voice had grown dark and Rachel knew where this was going. She was immediately excited by it. She glanced at the clock and knew her dads were still up. They wouldn't disturb her unless they heard her.

Rachel quickly moved to her closet and pulled out two scarves, hundreds of scenarios going through her head. She glanced at herself in the mirror in her closet. She played with her hair for a moment, trying to make it look at least a little sexy before walking into the bedroom. In the dim light she could see Quinn's outline as the girl sat on the edge of the bed.

Quinn took the scarves from Rachel and pointed to the bed. Rachel knew what she meant and laid down.

The blonde took in the sight in front of her. Rachel's hair was splayed out across the pillow under her head and her chest rose and fell with excited breaths. Quinn crawled onto the bed, scarves in hand and straddled Rachel's hips.

Rachel felt the heat of her body double as Quinn lowered her torso onto Rachel's, bringing their lips together. She closed her eyes as she felt Quinn's hands encircle her wrists and move them up and over her head.

Quinn ground their hips together as she deepened the kiss. Rachel didn't even notice that Quinn had tied her wrists to the headboard until she tried to place her hands on Quinn's back. They weren't so tight they were uncomfortable and Rachel was sure that she could get out of them if she needed to, but at that moment she didn't want to be free.

The Cheerio gently laid the other scarf over Rachel's eyes, tucking it under her head pretty sure she wouldn't need to tie it. She heard Rachel sharply inhale as the room went dark, but she slowly ran her hands under Rachel's shirt, across the smooth expanse of her stomach to calm her down. Her lips followed her hands as she started to kiss her way up Rachel's stomach. When she hit the bottom of Rachel's bra, one of her hands started to sneak under the waistband of her pants.

Rachel dug her heels into the bed and nearly jumped out of her skin when someone knocked on the door. "Uh…Rachel?"

"Shit," Quinn hissed. She scrambled to get Rachel untied and ran to the window. She looked back at Rachel who looked a combination of flushed, frustrated, and panicked. She smirked and hopped out the window, barely missing being seen by one of Rachel's dads who had just come in from checking the mail.

Rachel smoothed out her hair and her shirt before opening the door, "What do you want Finn?"

He put his hands in his pockets, "I, I wanted to apologize."

"Well you just did," Rachel started to close the door, but the boy put his hand out to stop it.

He sighed, "You're not even going to let me explain?"

Rachel looked at him with tired eyes and shook her head, "Not tonight. Go home Finn."

"Can we at least talk about it for a minute?" he asked.

"Fine," Rachel sighed and let him in her room. Once he was inside she closed the door and leaned back against it. She didn't want to have this talk. Her mind was definitely not on Finn at the moment.

"Why is Quinn's letter jacket on your bed?" he asked, examining the red jacket on the bed.

Rachel momentarily panicked. She used her years of acting classes to keep a straight face and reply, "I stole it. I was going to burn it or something."

Finn furrowed his eyebrows, "That's so not like you." He set the jacket down, "You've been acting really weird lately."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Rachel said, in a slightly undignified voice. She didn't notice any changes in her behavior. She did however notice a change in the content of her thoughts, which had started to feature a lot more of a blonde head Cheerio. She walked over to the bed and picked up the jacket.

"You don't steal things," Finn stood up, "You have like this…crazy sense of right and wrong." He walked over to her and rested his hand on her shoulder, "Is something wrong?"

Rachel looked up at him. Finn had always been a fantastic confidante. He was easy to talk to and slow to judge. And Rachel was dying to tell someone about her and Quinn's secret rendezvous in the night and how it was making her feel and how confusing the whole mess had become.

But she knew she couldn't tell anyone, especially Finn. She walked out of his embrace and to the closet to hang up the jacket before returning to the concerned boy.

"Are you really okay?" he asked quietly, "Has anyone hurt you? Maybe Santana…?"

"How could you even _say_ her name around me?" Rachel blew up. She wasn't really angry that he said 'Santana' and she'd already made her peace with Santana herself. She just wanted to be left alone…with Quinn. But right now she'd settle for alone.

Finn looked completely bewildered as to Rachel's sudden change in mood. She did this frequently being Rachel Berry and all, but this was a polar opposite change from tired and apathetic to angry and yelling in a matter of a second. He opened his mouth to reply, but she waved him off, "Forget it. I just need some time alone for a while. I need to think."

Finally, Finn sighed and gave her one last look before leaving her room. When he was gone, Rachel walked over to the window, hoping to see Quinn or Quinn's car waiting outside. She didn't find either one so she retrieved Quinn's jacket from the closet and slid it on. After locking her door and turning off all the lights, Rachel crawled into bed and held Quinn's jacket tight around herself.

The smell of Quinn's perfume on the jacket brought back a slew of memories all of which brought back the familiar ache Quinn always seemed to produce the second she climbed through the window. Rachel sighed and stared at the ceiling wishing she had Quinn's phone number so she could call her and ask, if not beg, her to come back.

Since she didn't have the blonde's number, Rachel closed her eyes as her hand slid between her legs and imagined what Quinn would have done to her, had Finn not shown up.


	4. Chapter 4

Rachel managed to make it through the school day with her head down and not talk to Finn. The one time she did see him, he looked pissed at her, but she could care less. She just wanted the winter break to come as fast as possible so she wouldn't have to deal with any more of this drama. Even Rachel surprised herself with that thought. She was usually the one to stir up the drama and was a self-proclaimed drama queen, but this semester had drained her and her relationship with Finn seemed to be over which would cause more drama.

"Rachel."

The diva stopped at her name being called during passing period. Finn had finally found her. She turned around and took a few slow steps toward him, waiting for him to speak.

"I've decided that I'm mad at you for being mad at me," he stated, "We weren't even together when I slept with Santana and you have no reason to be made at me…"

Rachel's mouth dropped open with the classic look of 'oh no you didn't just blame me'. She narrowed her eyes, interrupting the rest of the speech Finn was giving, "You lied to me!"

"I was trying not to hurt you!" Finn answered back, a little louder than he intended.

"Well good job!" Rachel sneered.

Finn ran his hand through his hair getting frustrated, "You lied to me! You told me you did sleep with Jesse!"

"Then I told you the truth because I didn't want any secrets between us," Rachel let out, but fading out at the end because Rachel's life as of late had been nothing but secrecy.

"Quinn was right," Finn muttered, "I shouldn't have said anything."

Rachel's interest was immediately piqued. "You talked to Quinn about us."

He sighed, knowing that he shouldn't have said that either, "We had Spanish together. She sits next to me and we just started talking. It's not a big deal. We're just friends."

Under the circumstances, Rachel found it slightly humorous that Finn was the one assuring Rachel that he and Quinn were just friends.

Rachel quietly asked, dreading the answer, "Did she tell you to break up with me?"

"She said I should if I'm going to keep hurting you," Finn looked down at his shoes and swallowed hard.

This was a part of Finn that Rachel always found endearing. He always tried to do the right thing and felt bad when he hurt other people. Rachel sighed, a feeling of guilt building in the back of her head. "Maybe…maybe we should take a break."

"Does that mean break up?" he asked.

She shook her head, "It just means that we're not together for right now. We'll take the time to reevaluate our relationship and decide what we really want."

"So how long?" he asked.

Rachel opened her mouth to answer, but when she glanced down the hallway, she was something that made her nauseas. Quinn was leaned back on the lockers and Sam had his forearm resting on the locker above her as he leaned down to kiss her.

This was the last straw. Her day had been the shittiest day of her life and now Sam and Quinn were making out right in front of her. She surveyed the hallway and came up with a plan.

Rachel walked right past Finn and called out, "Hey Karofsky!"

Everyone in the hallway's eyes widened as the football player turned around to looked at the gleek, a slushy in his hand. Quinn pushed Sam off of her so that she could see the spectacle. It took all of her self-control not to run over to Rachel and ask what the hell she was thinking.

"What do you want dwarf?" he asked as he walked over to her.

Rachel put herself in the position she wanted to be in and narrowed her eyes, "I know why you bullied Kurt."

Karofsky's eyes widened, "Cause he was a queer."

"And you were intimidated by that," Rachel used her finger to poke the football player in the chest, "Studies show that the most vicious homophobes are gay themselves." She paused and watched as the slushy was drawn back to be hurled into her face.

She took a step to the side and ducked as the concoction flew, hitting someone behind her.

"What the fuck dude?" Sam wiped slushy out of his eyes.

"Dude," Karofsky put his hands up, "I was trying to hit…" he pointed to the spot where Rachel was once standing to find her gone. He looked around the hallway and couldn't find her anywhere. "I'm serious. One of your little glee girlfriends was makin' fun of me."

Sam glared at him and shoved the bully into the locker behind him, "You're full of shit! You've been pissed since I told Coach Beiste you suck on the O-Line."

"Sam!" Quinn barked, "That's enough." She walked over to the two boys standing between them. "Listen and listen good. Everyone in the hallway is watching you. If you fight now, it makes the football team look stupid and weak." She turned to Karofsky, "If you would like to continue being a bully and not be bullied yourself for that cheap haircut, then I suggest you apologize to Sam and walked away." Then she turned to Sam, "If you would like to continue dating the head Cheerio then I suggest you accept his apology and go home to take a shower. I will not allow football to be knocked off of the top spot. I refuse to date a hockey player."

Sam thought it over and nodded. "Alright."

Karofsky nodded as well, "Okay. I'm sorry dude."

"It's all good," Sam nodded.

When Karofsky walked away, Sam smiled at Quinn and dipped down for a kiss. She sidestepped the action and shook her head, "I said go home and shower."

Sam used his shirt to wipe off his face, "Do you want to go out Saturday?"

"Maybe," Quinn smirked, playfully.

He smiled back, "Alright. I'll call you."

Rachel closed her eyes and let the sound of her best of Broadway mix play over the speakers in her bathroom as she sank into the hot water of her bath. Her phone was forgotten on her bed and her dads were gone for the evening. She was just planning to relax the rest of the night. Maybe watch Funny Girl. That always made her feel better.

A voice that joined in with Julie Andrew's startled Rachel. When she looked up at her bathroom door, she saw Quinn leaning on the frame, her head tilted up, her hands behind her back and one leg bent at the knee. Her voice could barely be heard over the music that was coming out of the speakers, but she sang with her eyes closed.

When the song was over, Rachel laid her head back on the edge of the bathtub. "I didn't know you liked musicals."

"Everyone likes The Sound Of Music," Quinn answered with a slight smile.

Rachel put some hair behind her ear that had fallen out of the loose bun she put it up in. "How did you get in?"

"The window," Quinn offered and sauntered over to the bathtub, sitting down on the edge of it. She put one foot on the edge and rested her chin on her bent knee, folding her hands over her cheerleading sneaker.

Rachel caught herself trying to see up Quinn's skirt so she closed her eyes, "Why are you here?"

"Why am I always here?" Quinn asked back.

The shorter girl opened her eyes to look up at the blonde, "I don't know. Why are you?"

The Cheerio was silenced by the question. She stared at the bubbles in the water before moving her eyes to her fingernails. The truth was, she had no idea why she was always at Rachel's house. Everything about it made her feel. Outside her senses were dulled by the pressures of school, her mom, and society. Here that dullness was gone and she could feel everything.

"I forgot my jacket last night," Quinn stated without much emotion, effectively dodging the question.

"I hung it up in my closet," Rachel stated, knowing that was not all Quinn came for.

"Why did you slushy Sam?" Quinn finally asked flat out.

Rachel reached forward and picked up a washcloth off of the edge of the bathtub. She raised one of her legs out of the water and slowly ran the cloth down her leg. This served no real purpose other than distracting Quinn. "I didn't slushy him. David did."

"You make Karofsky do it," Quinn reached down and let her fingers skim the surface of the water.

"I believe my size would make it impossible for me to make him do anything," Rachel played coy and switched legs.

The blonde drew lazy circles in the water, "You know it's not hard to trick his Neanderthal mind. I know what you did. I just don't know why."

"Why seems to be a question no one has the answer to lately," Rachel sighed. She put the washcloth down and asked, "Can you hand me that towel on the counter?"

Quinn looked over and saw a purple towel on the counter by the sink. Around the mirror in the bathroom were pictures of Broadway stars and inspirational quotes. She stood up and picked up the towel handing it to the shorter girl. Then she walked out of the bathroom, completely surprising Rachel.

Once she was wrapped up in her towel and her bathtub was draining, she walked into the bedroom to find Quinn standing at the window.

"Are you leaving?" Rachel asked softly, slightly disappointed.

Quinn crossed her arms, not turning away from the window, "Do you want me to?"

Rachel didn't answer. She walked into her closet and put on some pink hot pants and a white cami. When she came out, Quinn was sitting on the windowsill staring at the ground. When Rachel walked across the room toward her, Quinn stood and met her halfway, sweeping the smaller girl into a deep kiss. The urgency and neediness in the kiss took Rachel's breath away.

Things progressed from there like they usually did. However this time, Rachel noticed subtle changes in the way Quinn touched her. The touches lingered and were softer than normal. It's not that she was complaining, but it was just different.

Something that was absolutely normal was Quinn's exit. She got dressed just like usual and left Rachel in the bed.

"Don't forget your jacket," Rachel mentioned, knowing that it was too cold outside for Quinn to leave in just her Cheerio uniform.

"Oh yeah," Quinn mumbled and made her way to the closet. After she grabbed her jacket and slid it on, she opened the window and started to step out. But this time, she did something she never did before. She looked back at Rachel. Their eyes met in the faint light of the streetlamp and for a briefest second Rachel would have sworn that she saw Quinn's eyes shimmer with unshed tears.

Before she could address it, Quinn hopped out of the window and took off to her car. Rachel rolled onto her side and hugged the closest pillow to her. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach. It was starting to make her antsy.

So she got out of bed, got dressed and grabbed her purse on the way out of the front door of her house. She didn't know where she was going to go. She just knew she needed to leave.


	5. Chapter 5

It would be a lie if Rachel said she wasn't surprised that she drove herself to Puck's house. She was even more surprised that when she found herself in his bedroom, watching him play video games. She wasn't in the mood to fool around and he wasn't a complete dick so he didn't just make her leave when she was so upset that she unconsciously drove to his house.

"So I heard you and Finn broke up," he causally mentioned as he continued to stare at the TV screen.

"We're taking a break," Rachel corrected him and looked down at her folded hands in her lap.

"Which is girl talk for 'I want to date other people, but I'll come back when I feel like it'," Puck explained.

Rachel looked up from her hands and watched Puck's face contort with concentration, "That's pretty much it."

"I know," Puck shrugged, "Santana and me have been on a break for two years. She sleeps with whoever and comes back to the Puckasaurus when she feels the needs. She's the only one that does that to me. If she wasn't so hot…" He trailed off as his concentration went back to the game for a moment. Then he asked, "So who's the guy?"

"What?" Rachel asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Damn it," Puck dropped the controller when his character on the game died. He paused, scanning his stats before he turned to Rachel, "Who is the guy you put Finn on hold for?"

"Oh um," Rachel looked back down at her hands, "No one you know." She was always told she was horrible at lying, but she'd been doing it so much lately that it was becoming easier and easier.

Puck nodded and turned back to the TV, starting the level over. "He used to be my best friend. He's a little boring sometimes and predictable, but he's a good guy. He'll do the right thing and wait on you, but if you don't plan on going back to him, break up with him."

Rachel was a little thrown by the words coming out of Puck's mouth. She was being told to spare Finn by the guy who impregnated Finn's girlfriend of the time. However she knew he was right. She had to decide if she was going to go back to him or she was just going to get it over with. It's not like she and Quinn had any kind of conventional relationship and it was doubtful they ever would. She didn't like being single and since dating Finn she had stopped getting slushied, but she felt bad for sleeping with Quinn when she wouldn't even let Finn cop a feel.

Rachel stood up from the bed and patted Puck's shoulder as she walked out of the room, "Thanks Noah."

"Don't forget," he called after her, "You promised to go with me and my Nana to temple next week."

"I won't forget," Rachel answered, remembering the deal she made so that she could hang at his house. Apparently Puck's Nana had been on him again about meeting a nice Jewish girl.

When Rachel parked in her usual spot in the driveway there was a car she didn't recognize parked on the curb of her house. She figured that since her dads were still out that the car belonged to the people across the street that seemed to perpetually have at least fifteen people at their house.

Rachel slowly unlocked the door and trudged into the house, taking her time to lock the door behind herself as she removed her shoes. She wished her dads were here. She could describe to them in very vague terms, of course leaving out the sex part, what was going on and ask them for their advice. Between the two of them and all the talk shows they watched, they were bound to come up with some kind of answer.

She stopped by the kitchen to get a drink of water before walking up the stairs to her bedroom. She shed her jacket as she pushed the door opened, but jumped when she saw Quinn laying on the bed staring at the ceiling.

"What are you doing here?" Rachel asked evenly, letting her jacket drop to the ground and sticking close to the wall.

"Thinking," Quinn answered simply. She didn't add that she always did her best thinking in Rachel's room.

Rachel looked Quinn over, from the tips of her toes to the splay of her ponytail. Rachel had been allowed one rule when they started this affair and it was that under no circumstances were shoes allowed on the bed. Quinn decided it was fair and had always respected that rule. Right now was no exception. Rachel spotted Quinn's shoes neatly placed under her window.

Rachel finally pushed herself off of the wall and walked over to the bed. She crawled onto the bed next to Quinn and placed her head on the pillow next to Quinn's. The blonde turned to look at her and their eyes met, both searching for something, anything that would give them a clue as to how the other felt.

Then Rachel suddenly pressed her lips to Quinn's. She moved so that she was on top of the Cheerio, straddling her hips. She deepened the kiss as she trailed her hands up and down Quinn's sides.

Quinn moaned when Rachel gently sucked on her bottom lip and brought her hands up the Rachel's hips. However, Rachel almost violently threw Quinn's hands away from her body. Her hands hit the bed next to her with a soft thud.

Rachel then moved down Quinn's neck, her hands starting to sneak up under Quinn's top. Again Quinn tried to put one of her hands on Rachel's hair. This time the shorter girl grabbed Quinn's wrist and pinned it down on the bed, doing the same with the other one.

"This is not how it works," Quinn said through gritted teeth trying to be angry as tears welled up in her eyes.

Rachel shook her head, "Why?"

"Because," Quinn stated, as she squirmed under Rachel trying to get her wrists free.

"Because why?" Rachel asked, not loosening her grip.

The blonde fought to get Rachel off, but the shorter girl was stronger than she looked. "Because…" she trailed off, tears starting to fall down her cheeks. She finally gave up struggling and yelled, "Because I have to be in control!"

Rachel stared down at Quinn for a moment before slowly releasing the pressure on her wrists and getting off of her. Quinn shot off of the bed and went to the window. She sat on the windowsill and slowly put her shoes on.

"You don't have to go," Rachel said quietly.

"How can I stay?" Quinn asked harshly, "Now that you know how really fucked up I am."

"You're not…messed up," Rachel replied, not being one to curse. She walked over to Quinn who was getting frustrated tying her shoes before finally giving up because her hands were shaking too bad.

The blonde wiped her eyes, "How do you explain this?" She gestured between them. "It's pretty messed up."

Rachel knelt in front of Quinn and methodically tied her shoe. "Just two people taking care of their needs."

"Needs?" Quinn's eyes shot to Rachel's, "How are you getting anything out of this?"

"I don't-I just…" Rachel struggled for the right words. She really liked what they had and she craved it everyday. She felt like she needed it. "I just like it okay?"

Quinn narrowed her eyes. She knew there was something more to what Rachel was saying.

Rachel knew this is started to panic. Revealing the real reason she loved every second she was with Quinn would jeopardize what they had, so she added, as soon as she thought of it, "Why don't you stay and show me what you were going to do with those scarves last night?"

Quinn looked skeptical, like she knew Rachel was steering the conversation away from herself, but the thought of the scarves made her brain moved to a whole different train of thought. A very wet train of thought.

"Get the scarves," Quinn ordered.

Rachel got off of her knees and scampered to the closet, shedding clothes on the way. She let out a sigh of relief as she got into the closet. Things were back to normal and she hoped they stayed that way.

Quinn walked into the school the next day thinking of what she and Rachel had done the night before. However if she was going to keep having nights like that she was going to have to stretch first because she was really sore this morning.

She had a light smile on her face as she spun the dial on her locker. She could pretty much do this in her sleep now, which was good because her daydreams were really distracting.

However when she opened her locker, she saw something that made her heart stop. When a violently shaking hand she reached forward and yanked a picture down that was hanging off of the shelf in her locker. That was when she realized there was more than one picture. As she went through them she realized it was a series of pictures of her climbing into Rachel's window. Each had a different date printed at the bottom.

Her locker slamming shut also made her nearly jump out of her skin. She immediately hid the pictures behind her back and looked up at Santana. She asked in her meanest voice she could muster, "What do you want?"

"What are you hiding there?" Santana grinned wickedly, "Pregnant again?"

"Go to hell," Quinn snapped and started to walk away.

Santana's voice stopped her, "I wouldn't walk away from me Mrs. Berry."

Quinn turned on her heel and got in Santana's face, whispering, "How the fuck did you now?"

"Brittany lives next door to Rachel, Einstein," Santana rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

Quinn shoved the pictures into her bag and prepared for a square off with Santana, "What were you doing at Brittany's house?"

"Everyone knows what me and B do," Santana smirked, "Who knew you'd be doing a side project with Berry?"

"I don't do what you and Brittany do," Quinn faked disgust, "Rachel's just helping me with my singing."

Santana pretended to think, tapping her chin, "Well you do suck at singing…" Then she dropped her hands and bobbed her head, "You really expect me to believe that bullshit when every time you leave you're sporting the 'just fucked' look?"

"You don't know what I'm doing there so just back the fuck off," Quinn growled.

Santana smiled, "Well, although I don't have pictures of you and Berry in the act because god knows I would have thrown up had I tried, I still have these and they're enough to start a rumor and we both know that rumors can kill reputations."

"What do you want Santana?" Quinn asked, defeated. Santana was right. Those pictures were rep killers and Santana was holding all the cards.

"Quit Cheerios," Santana stated.

"You're insane," Quinn threw her hands up in the air, "I can't do that."

Santana slowly reached into the pocket of her Cheerio's letter jacket and waived duplicates of the pictures in the air tauntingly, "You have until Monday or these go viral." With that she turned around and walked away, Cheerio skirt swaying behind her.

Quinn could just watch her walk away and crush all of her dreams with every step.


	6. Chapter 6

When the door slammed against the wall of the bathroom, Rachel jumped. She had ducked in here when she saw Karofsky walking her way with a slushy. Her little jealousy trip against Sam had had consequences that Rachel hadn't thought about before. After a few days of a reprieve, Karofsky seemed to target Rachel and only Rachel.

The diva turned to the door, terrified that Karofsky had decided to put his illiteracy skills to use to waltz into the girls bathroom. However, a very pissed looking head Cheerio was more unnerving than if she had seen Karofsky standing there with two slushies.

Quinn walked to her with a murderous glare. When she got a little too close Rachel started to back up, but Quinn kept advancing until Rachel's back was against the cold hard tile of the wall.

"Did you know about this?" Quinn demanded pulling some pictures out of the bag, "Did you set me up?"

Rachel nervously took the pictures and looked through them. "I-I didn't have any idea."

Quinn glanced over her shoulder to make sure all the bathroom stalls were open and empty before continuing, "How could you not tell me that Brittany's house was next door?" Quinn was seething, but Rachel could see that there were cracks in the anger, showing glimpses of terror.

Rachel answered as evenly as possible, knowing that Quinn was scared, but knowing she needed to stand up for herself. "You know just as well as I do where Brittany lives."

The blonde glared hard at Rachel trying to maintain her anger, but she knew Rachel was right. Quinn had been over to Brittany's house hundreds of times and she should have known.

The door to the bathroom opening again caused Rachel's eyes to widen. Quinn grabbed Rachel's hand and pulled her into one of the stalls. She closed and locked the door just as the footsteps neared the sinks.

Rachel tapped Quinn's shoulder and then pointed to their feet. If whoever it was looked under the stall, they would know there were two people in the stall. Again thinking quickly again, Quinn reached down and placed her hands on the back of Rachel's thighs, pulling up so that she was holding Rachel against the stall door. The close proximity and Quinn's hands on the back of her bare thighs caused Rachel's heart to beat wildly.

Quinn's green eyes held Rachel's eyes as they focused on staying quiet. She didn't immediately realize that this position was a little more than compromising for Rachel.

"So," the distinct voice of Brittany Pierce happily said, "Where are we going for lunch today?"

"Wherever you want to go B," Santana's voice replied, lightly.

Quinn broke eye contact with Rachel to peek out of the crack between the stall door and the wall to see what they were doing. She saw Brittany take a step toward Santana who immediately wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist.

"Do you wanna go to your house?" Brittany giggled with a less innocent playful tone.

Santana brought her lips to Brittany's, "Sounds good. You're my favorite lunch anyway."

Quinn thought she was going to gag. She did not need to know what Brittany and Santana did on their lunch break.

Before she could rip her eyes away from the pair of Cheerios, Rachel's head resting on her shoulder made her body rage with heat. Quinn saw the look on Rachel's face and recognized a need that had become all too familiar.

Quinn smirked and ran one of her hands a little higher than she needed to. She felt Rachel's breath hitch and her arms immediately wrap around Quinn's shoulders. The blonde leaned close to Rachel and whispered into her ear, "I fucking love these perverted school girl skirts you wear."

Rachel leaned her head back against the door and tried to catch her breath. However, Quinn took quick advantage and latched her lips onto Rachel's neck. Rachel had to bite down hard on her lip to suppress a moan. Her hands threaded themselves into Quinn's hair as the blonde's lips and tongue moved lower.

Quinn paused long enough to peek out the door. Once she saw that Brittany and Santana had already left, she lowered Rachel a little to gain the use of one of her arms again. But before Rachel's feet could touch the ground, Quinn placed her thigh between Rachel's legs, nailing her to the wall and making the singer's eyes roll back.

Quinn then caught Rachel's lips as her now free hand crawled up under Rachel's shirt. The blonde smiled against Rachel's lips when Rachel started to try to get some friction against Quinn's leg; trying to scratch the itch. Quinn retaliated by pressing Rachel harder against the door, not allowing her any movement.

"Quinn, please," Rachel begged, out of breath.

Quinn grinned. She absolutely loved it when Rachel begged. It meant that all the power was hers. The blonde scraped her nails from Rachel's knee to the boarder of her panties.

Rachel's head rolled back again and her eyes slid shut. In a desperate attempt to relieve some of the tension, Rachel arced her back away from the wall.

Quinn decided that she'd made Rachel suffer long enough. She removed her leg from between Rachel's and let the shorter girl slide to the ground. Then with one swift yank she pulled down Rachel's soaked panties.

The air hitting the wetness between her legs caused Rachel to gasp into Quinn's mouth. The blonde picked up one of Rachel's legs and used to free hand to tease Rachel's opening. So maybe she wanted to hear her beg one more time.

It didn't take long for Quinn to get her wish. "Oh god…. please Quinn."

The second Rachel finished, Quinn plunged two of her fingers into Rachel, quickly sliding them out and then powering back it.

Rachel was having trouble keeping quiet so Quinn covered the smaller girl's mouth with her own, lightly kissing and nipping until Rachel was on the edge. Then she kissed Rachel as she came feeling the power of the orgasm rush from Rachel's core and radiating throughout her body.

As soon as she was sure Rachel could stand on her own, Quinn took a step back and made a show of licking her fingers clean.

That ignited a whole new fire in Rachel. Before Quinn knew it, Rachel was on her knees with one of Quinn's legs over her shoulder, pushing up her Cheerio's skirt.

Although they were both on the brink of facing social exile, Rachel walked down the hall smiling. She could still hear the muffled noised Quinn made while Rachel's tongue worked skillfully between her legs. It was so worth it being late to Chemistry.

When she saw a flash of blonde hair down the hallway, Rachel's eyes immediately started to seek it out of the crowd. She was slightly disappointed, but she needed to talk to this other blonde anyway.

Reasoning with Santana was impossible, especially now that Santana was holding all the cards. Appealing to Santana's sensitive side didn't work because well…she didn't have one as far as anyone, but Brittany knew.

So Rachel decided to appeal to Santana's better half. To her kinder, sweeter, and much less menacing other half: Brittany.

The blonde Cheerio smiled at Rachel as she walked up. "Hi Rachel."

"Hey Brittany," Rachel smiled back and pulled Brittany out of the traffic flow through the hallway and against some lockers, "I wanted to ask you something."

"Santana told me that you would," Brittany nodded, her ponytail bobbing up and down. "She also told me that if I told you where they were that she'd stop doing this cool thing she does with her fingers, like this…" Brittany trailed off and started to demonstrate in the air, but Rachel took her hand and brought it down.

"I don't want the pictures," Rachel whispered, "I just want to make sure no one else ever sees them."

Brittany opened her mouth to answer, but another voice interrupted them, "What are we talking about ladies?" Santana asked, sneering at Rachel.

"C'mon Santana," Rachel sighed, "There has to be something I can do so you'll keep those pictures to yourself. I'll do anything."

"Anything?" a wicked smile crossed Santana's face.

The look made her nervous, but this was for Quinn and Quinn's reputation so Rachel nodded, "Anything."

"I will definitely get back to you on that and we'll see what we can work out," Santana smirked and offered her pinkie to Brittany.

The blonde took it and the two Cheerios took off down the hall, red and white skirts swishing behind them.

Rachel leaned back against the lockers and closed her eyes. She felt like she just made a deal with the devil that she was going to .


	7. Chapter 7

Rachel looked at the clock on the stove. It was only eight o'clock but she really needed to see Quinn. She'd been ridiculously stressed out and did what she always did when she was really upset.

"Sweetie," her dad walked into the kitchen and saw what Rachel was doing, "What's wrong?"

Rachel looked at the cookies, brownies, and cakes she baked since she got out of school. She sighed, "It's complicated."

"Boy problems?" her dad laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Rachel shook her head, "It's just…I don't want to talk about it." She looked at the brownies that she made looked up at her dad, "I think this is something I need to discuss with a girl. Can I go to my friend's house for a little while?"

Her dad kissed the top of her head, a little disappointed that he couldn't help her, "Sure sweetheart. Call me if you need anything."

Rachel walked up to the rather formidable Fabray house and balanced the brownies on one of her forearms so she could ring the doorbell. Rachel had to admit she was a little nervous going to Quinn's house for the first time, but before she could run back to her car, the door opened.

"Hello," Quinn's mom smiled, recognizing Rachel from the glee competitions.

"Hi, I'm Rachel," Rachel nervously smiled back, "Is Quinn here?"

The older woman nodded, "She's in her room."

"Um, I brought brownies for you," Rachel offered the treat to Quinn's mom as she walked in.

"Thank you. That's very sweet of you," Quinn's mom took them, "I'll put these in the kitchen. Quinn's room is up the stairs, the last door to the left."

"Thank you," Rachel nodded and made her way up the stairs.

When she got to the last door on the left, she found Quinn's name stenciling across the door. She quietly knocked. When there was no answer, she turned the knob on the door, slowly opening it. She found Quinn with laying on her bed with her back to the door. Rachel saw the reason Quinn didn't answer. Her iPod was playing in her ears.

As she got closer, she saw a picture in Quinn's hand and her own coat laying on the bed next to the blonde.

Quinn saw Rachel's shadow move and rolled onto her back to see who it was. She quickly wiped the tears off of her face and sat up, "What are you doing here?"

Rachel swallowed hard and saw the picture that had been in Quinn's hand. It was a sonogram. She thought back and realized that it was about this time last year that Quinn had been ostracized and shunned because of her noticeable baby bump.

"Are you okay?" Rachel slowly sank down next to Quinn on the bed.

Quinn quickly shoved the sonogram in the drawer of her dresser, "I'm fine." Her face and voice grew hard, "What do you want?"

Rachel sighed, knowing that Quinn probably wouldn't open up to her and was frustrated that she couldn't help. "I came to talk."

"About what?" Quinn slumped back on her bed, knowing they didn't really have anything pleasant to talk about.

"Santana," Rachel stated.

The blonde shook her head and crossed her legs in front of her, "I was thinking about that too. Maybe I could pretend to quit Cheerios and get the pictures from her before she finds out."

"She probably had them saved on her computer," Rachel offered.

Quinn nodded and sighed, "I know. I don't see any way to get around this. I'm probably going to have to quit."

"I don't think so," Rachel looked from her hand to Quinn, "I told her I'd do anything she wanted me to if she didn't make the pictures public. She seemed to like that solution."

"You told you'd do _anything_?" Quinn's eyes widened, "Are you insane? She's a psycho. Why would you do that?"

"Because I…" Rachel started, but paused and looked back down at her hands, causing her hair to shield her face from Quinn's view.

Quinn held her breath hoping that Rachel did it because she cared. There really couldn't be anything other reason for the suicidal deal.

There was another knock on the door before Rachel could finish. Quinn's mom stepped in with a tray containing two plates with one brownie each and two glasses of milk. "I thought you'd girls would like some of these delicious brownies that Rachel brought over."

"Thanks mom," Quinn sighed, wishing her mom was trying to be less like Martha Stewart and would leave them alone. Rachel might have just been about to confess something that she'd been wanting to hear, but had been too scared to ask.

"Thank you," Rachel offered a forced smile.

Quinn's mom left the tray between the two and closed the door behind her.

Quinn picked up her brownie and took a bite. She looked at Rachel, "These are really great."

Rachel offered another forced smile, "Thanks." However, she didn't move to touch her own. She just swallowed hard and took a deep breath.

The blonde finally shook her head, "You can't go through with it. I'll figure something else out."

"But your reputation…" Rachel started, looking concerned.

However Quinn cut her off by pressing their lips together. Rachel could taste a hint of chocolate on Quinn's lips. Before she got a chance to deepen the kiss, Quinn pulled away. She took another bite of brownie like she didn't just kiss Rachel and added, "Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it."

The shorter girl sighed, "If you think of anything I can do, let me know okay? I want to help."

Quinn was genuinely touched by Rachel's offer. She smiled sweetly and nodded, "Okay."

Rachel's phone dinged. She pulled it out of the pocket of her jacket and was surprised by the person texting her.

"Who is it?" Quinn asked, knowing that look on Rachel's face.

"Noah," Rachel answered. She opened the text and read it over. Then she closed it and stood up, "I guess I'll see you later."

"You're going to Puck's house?" Quinn asked, a little jealous and a lot concerned.

Rachel nodded, "He said he wants me to come over and ask me something. He said it's really important."

The blonde frowned. She didn't like the sound of that. Number one she had a bad feeling about what Puck was going to ask her and number two, she wanted Rachel to stay. Today was an anniversary. It wouldn't seem significant to anyone but Quinn, but she was having a hard time with it.

Quinn thought her pride may hate her for asking, but she did anyway, "Can you come back after?"

Rachel was surprised by the question. She nodded and resisted the urge to caress Quinn's cheek. "It shouldn't take but a few minutes."

Somehow Quinn seemed doubtful of that, but nodded anyway and watched Rachel walk out.


	8. Chapter 8

When Rachel got to Puck's house, she was a little surprised at his demeanor when he opened the door. He seemed depressed. His shoulders slumped under this dark green thermal shirt.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked quietly, "Is your Nana okay?" Rachel knew Puck loved his Nana and if anything happened to her, he would definitely be horribly depressed.

He shook his head, "She's fine. I'm…okay." He turned and led the way up to his room. Rachel followed closely behind, worried about Puck.

When they got to his room, Puck leaned against the wall next to the door and looked at the bed. Rachel followed his eyes. There, on the bed, was a hard guitar case that was open. Inside was a gorgeous guitar with cherry wood sides and a muted ash finish on the front. Rachel knew what it was. It was Puck's first guitar and usually the one he played with. When they were dating she practically begged Puck to play for her and he used his black guitar because he said his first guitar was only for special occasions.

"What's the occasion?" Rachel asked softly.

Puck sighed, "A year ago, today I think, was when Quinn first got the sonograms of Beth." He swallowed hard and walked over to his nightstand. He picked up a picture frame and handed it to Rachel. Inside was the sonogram Rachel walked in on Quinn holding earlier.

"Oh my god," Rachel breathed, realized what was wrong with Quinn earlier. She could have slapped herself for not realizing it.

Puck walked over to the bed and sat next to the guitar case. He slowly closed it and snapped it shut. "I wanted to ask you…" he looked up at her and paused while she placed the framed sonogram back on the nightstand. "I know you don't actually talk to your mom-I mean Shelby, but do you think you could get this to her?" He rested his hand on top of the case, "I just want Beth to know that…I cared. I still do." He rested his forearms on his knees and dropped his head in his hands. He let his hands run over his mowhawk before looking back up at Rachel. She could tell he was fighting tears, "I just thought maybe if I gave her something that means something to me that she won't think I didn't love her."

Rachel sat down next to him and put her arms around his back. "Of course. I'll make sure it gets to her."

"Thanks Rach," Puck wrapped his arms around her and gave her a brief but meaningful hug. Then he stood up and stretched, "I think I'm going to go for a run. I'll carry it down to your car on the way."

They walked together down the stairs and out the door. Rachel opened the passenger door for Puck to put his guitar in. He hugged her again, this time lingering a bit, "I put a note in the compartment under the guitar neck. It's just telling her how I got the guitar and why I'm giving it to her. Shelby can take it out if she wants."

Rachel nodded against his chest.

When he pulled away, he smiled at her, "Thanks again."

"No problem," Rachel replied with a smile. She took her keys out of her pocket, anxious to get back to Quinn.

With one last nod, he took off jogging down the street. Rachel got in her car and went as fast as it was legal to Quinn's house. When she got there, she found Quinn in her room, much like she found her the first time.

"Do you need anything?" Rachel asked quietly as she lugged the large case into Quinn's room.

The blonde looked over at her, "What are you doing with Puck's guitar?"

Rachel set the case down and sat down next to Quinn. "Puck told me what today was- is."

Quinn continued to lay on the bed, but her tucked her hands under her pillow, "Oh?"

"I think you remember too," Rachel took a chance and reached out a hand to rest on Quinn's side. She rubbed it gently and soothingly trying to communicate that she would be there for Quinn and not pressure her for anything.

The Cheerio shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it."

Rachel nodded, continuing her gentle menstruations. "Okay."

Finally Quinn asked again, "What's with the guitar?"

"Noah wants me to give it to Shelby," Rachel explained, "He told me that he wants Beth to know he cared and he hopes to communicate that by giving her something that means something to him. I didn't want anything to happen to it in my car."

Quinn thought for a moment before silently getting up off of the bed. She walked around her bed and into the closet. After a few minutes, Quinn walked out with a pair of tiny ballet shoes. She sat on the bed across from Rachel and offered them to the shorter girl.

"These were mine when I was little," Quinn explained, "When you give them the guitar, can you give them these too?"

"Of course," Rachel nodded. She took the shoes and set them on top of the guitar case. She walked back to the bed and laid down next to Quinn who was sitting.

The blonde had tears in her eyes when Rachel met them. She was concerned and started to sit up, but Quinn kept her in place with a gentle hand on her shoulder. Rachel laid back down and turned on her side, facing Quinn.

Quinn finally spoke the tears in her eyes getting heavy, "Do you hate me?"

"Of course not," Rachel reached out and placed her hand on top of Quinn's, "Why would you ask that?"

"You should," Quinn looked down at their hands, her tears dropping down on top of Rachel's hand.

"Why?"

"Because," the blonde laid down next to Rachel and looked into her eyes, "I've treated you like…I've been horrible. I've made fun of you in public since eighth grade. What's been going on these past weeks has been…I've just been showing up to you house, not asking if I could or if you wanted me to stop-"

"I never said to stop," Rachel interrupted her, "I assure you if you weren't allowed or I wanted you to stop, I'd let you know."

Quinn searched Rachel's eyes for a few minutes. Normally Rachel would have been uncomfortable under such a studious glare, but she was content to just look back.

The blonde moved her head forward so that her head on was on same pillow as Rachel's. Then she nudged her head forward so that her lips lightly brushed against Rachel's. She felt her lips mesh against Rachel's and let out a content sigh into the shorter girl's mouth.

Rachel closed her eyes and reveled in the kiss. No one had ever kissed her like that before; a sweet, nervous kiss that was an apology and promise all in one. It sent chills throughout her body.

When Quinn broke the kiss she stayed close to Rachel, closing her eyes. Rachel felt a little safer about touching Quinn now without permission, so she gently ran the tips of her fingers over Quinn's cheek and down to her jaw.

This elicited a smile from Quinn who slowly opened her eyes. Rachel couldn't help, but smile back.

"Why are you so nice to me?" Quinn asked, taking Rachel's hand off of her face and holding it in her own hand.

Rachel took a deep breath. She was debating whether or not to tell Quinn the truth. The truth that she cared about her more than classmates, or teammates, or even friends.

Luckily, she didn't have to answer because a phone in the room started ringing. Quinn groaned and buried her face into the pillow. Rachel chuckled and gently moved some of the blonde hair out of Quinn's face.

Rachel leaned back a little bit and picked up Quinn's phone. The face on the screen of the incoming caller left her mouth dry. She withdrew from Quinn and sat up, handing the phone over, "It's your boyfriend."

She was all swept up in the moment with Quinn that she forgot about Sam, school, social status, popularity, and Santana.

Quinn saw Rachel sit up and pick up her coat off of the bed. She quickly silenced her phone and sat up, "Where are you going?"

"I should get home," Rachel mumbled, putting the coat she loaned Quinn earlier on. "I need to call Shelby."

"Oh, okay," Quinn looked down at the blanket on her bed. "Um, can I come over later?"

Rachel felt her heart speed up. It was the first time Quinn asked permission and it wasn't like Rachel didn't know what they were going to do when she got there. She desperately wanted to be around Quinn as much as possible and touching Quinn's bare skin was the most exhilarating thing she'd ever done.

However, outside of their strange little relationship, the whole world seemed against them. She felt guilty about helping Quinn cheat on Sam and nervous about what Santana was willing to do to be head Cheerio.

"If you want," Rachel shrugged and picked up the ballet shoes and guitar. Those were the words she left Quinn with.

The blonde looked at her phone that proclaimed a missed call. Sam was nice and all, in a Lifetime movie kinda way, but he didn't make Quinn feel like she did with Rachel. Plus he knew what happened last year, but he wasn't there. He didn't see first hand all the agony and depression Quinn went through. Rachel actually did offer to help Quinn in the beginning, but Quinn turned her down.

She dropped her phone on the nightstand and pulled open the drawer, retrieving the sonogram wishing she had a more recent picture of Beth.


	9. Chapter 9

Rachel had called Shelby who said she'd be more than happy to give the guitar and ballet shoes to Beth when she was old enough. Rachel then got on her laptop and printed the shipping labels so that she could send them the next day.

Then Rachel turned on the music in her room, changed into something comfortable and slightly sexy and then got in bed. It was chillier than usual in her room, so she huddled under the covers in the darkened room.

It wasn't long before she heard the edges of her window scraping against the windowsill. A rush of colder air entered her room, dropping the temperature even more. Rachel didn't make a move as she heard the window close and two shoes drop onto the floor.

She didn't look up from the safety of her blankets because she knew who was there. The blankets on the far side of the bed lifted for a brief second before dropping down over the slender body of the blonde who frequented the bed.

She felt Quinn's hand reach forward and slide across her hip to the small of her back, pulling her closer. Once their bodies were barely an inch apart, Rachel heard Quinn sniffle. She finally opened her eyes and saw Quinn's face glistening in the moonlight.

"What's wrong?" Rachel asked pushing Quinn's hair out of her face, straining to see the blonde's eyes in the faint light of the streetlamp through the window.

Quinn just shook her head and curled into Rachel, clinging to her. The blonde tried to keep herself under control, but under Rachel's tender touches she just broke down.

For her part, it took all of Rachel's self-control not to break down and start crying as well. It completely broke her heart to see Quinn like this. She kissed Quinn's forehead, rubbed her back and stroked her hair.

They continued on like this for almost half an hour before Quinn composed herself enough to pull away from Rachel. She whispered quietly, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Rachel carefully wiped away some tears with her thumb. "Are you tired?"

The blonde shook her head against the pillow. She wasn't ready to sleep now, but she knew it would be creeping up on her in a few minutes.

"I'll be right back," Rachel kissed Quinn's cheek before slipping out of the bed and into the bathroom. She didn't close the door and Quinn heard water running.

When Rachel returned, she took Quinn's hand and helped her out of the bed before guiding her to the bathroom. Inside, Quinn found that Rachel had lit candles all around the bathroom and had started the bathtub to filling up with hot water and a large amount of bubbles.

Rachel slowly unzipped Quinn's jacket, her eyes locked with Quinn's to make sure that what she was doing was one hundred percent okay with Quinn. The blonde showed no sign of disapproval. She just watched at Rachel tenderly removed her jacket, then her socks followed by her running pants, and long sleeved shirt.

It would be a lie for Rachel to say she wasn't incredibly turned on by Quinn's complete display of trust, not to mention the incredibly beautiful body she was revealing. However she knew this wasn't the time to satisfy her sexual urges. It was the time to take care of Quinn.

She took her time removing Quinn's bra and underwear, knowing that Quinn may be uncomfortable with her doing so, but when she look up at Quinn the blonde's eyes were again shimmering with tears.

Rachel panicked, "Did I upset you? I'm sorry- I shouldn't have assumed-"

Quinn cut her off with a slight smile, as she wiped her eyes, "No, it's nothing." She turned to the bathtub and carefully got in, sinking into the hot water. She moaned as she leaned her head back against the edge of the tub, letting the water rise up to her neck.

The songstress walked to the cabinet by the bathtub. She pulled out a towel and set it on the counter, "Here's your towel and you're welcome to use my bathrobe if you want." She pointed to the pink robe hanging on the back of the bathroom door.

"You're leaving?" Quinn asked, lulling her head to the side to look at Rachel.

"If you want me to," Rachel offered.

The blonde shook her head, "Stay."

Rachel let out a relieved sigh. She sat down on the cold tiles next to the bathtub, facing Quinn. She put her elbow on the top of the bathtub wall and rested the side of her head against her hand.

Quinn looked into the water, not able to see anything but bubbles. "You probably think I'm nuts."

"No," Rachel shook her head, "I don't think that."

"Then what do you think?" Quinn asked timidly.

"I think," Rachel paused to swirl some bubbles with her finger, "That you need to relax and not care what I think."

The Cheerio sighed, "I'm not good at relaxing."

"I know," Rachel let out a playful smile.

Quinn couldn't help, but smile back. After a few second of just studying Rachel's features, she let out one simple, request, "Sing to me."

Rachel bit her lip thinking about what to sing. She knew exactly the song that she thought of every time she thought of Quinn and every time she saw Quinn at school the song was stuck in her head for the rest of the day.

She figured it was safe to sing it though because Quinn didn't know it's really how Rachel felt. She moved up to side on the side of the bathtub and leaned back against the opposite wall from Quinn.

_I remember when I realized  
The depth of your beauty for the first time  
A million ears had heard you  
But none had listened quite like mine_

Every phrase that leaves your lips  
Makes me feel as if I'm paralyzed  
Talking is trivial, sing another crazy note  
And I will be a third below  
The troubles that we knew before  
Disappear and all I know is that  
It makes no difference where you come from  
I don't care if you need my love  
You know I'll be there  
I swear I want to sing to the world  
No need to keep it a secret  
You are the one, the only  
My musical soul mate

Darling listen  
The audience is calling you  
(They're calling you)  
There's no way in hell that  
They will ever feel you like I do

It makes no difference where you come from  
I don't care if you need my love  
You know I'll be there  
I swear I want to sing to the world  
No need to keep it a secret  
You are the one, the only  
My musical soul mate

Quinn got chills as Rachel sang, even though she was surrounded by warm water. She watched as Rachel closed her eyes to hit the right notes. Her hair fell away from her face and in the candlelight, Quinn was convinced that Rachel had never looked more beautiful than she did right then.

When the song was over, Rachel looked at Quinn who was staring intently at her. Rachel could feel exhaustion and hunger creeping over her. She forgot to eat dinner with all the sonogram depression, but now she just wanted to go to bed.

"You're tired," Quinn stated softly.

Rachel nodded, suppressing a yawn.

"Go to bed," the blonde answered, "I'll be there in a minute."

After a brief moment Rachel paused, but then she nodded and walked out of the bathroom leaving Quinn alone.

Rachel was just settling under the covers when Quinn emerged from the bathroom in Rachel's robe. She walked straight to the bed and crawled in next to Rachel. When she laid down, Quinn wrapped her arms around herself and turned to face Rachel.

The shorter girl looked at Quinn, wondering what was going through her mind.

"Are you mad at Shelby?" Quinn asked quietly, "For letting you go?"

Rachel took a deep breath, "She didn't really let me go."

"I guess you're right," Quinn sighed.

"But no," Rachel strained to find Quinn's eyes in the dark, "I was never mad. I wanted to know why, but I knew I had two dads that love me with all their hearts. They wanted me from day one." She paused, "And Shelby wanted Beth from day one. We had a long talk while you were in labor. She wanted a little baby to love and she's had a lot of time to think about what kind of mom she wants to be. I'm sure Beth feels loved."

"What happens when she gets older?" Quinn asked, her voice cracking, "What happens if she comes to me and asks me why I didn't love her enough to keep her?"

"You tell her exactly what happened," Rachel reached forward and took Quinn's hand, "You tell her that you loved her so much you had to give her up." She used Quinn's hand to pull their bodies together. She felt one of Quinn's hands rest on her hip and her leg slowly slide over Rachel's.

Rachel seemed to feel Quinn's mouth searching for hers. She tilted her head forward and their lips collided. Rachel's hand reached down and started trailing up Quinn's thigh. But she stopped herself before her hand got too far. She pulled her hand away and brought it up to Quinn's cheek, softly caressing the skin under her fingers.

There was something inside of Rachel that always seemed to want to be touching Quinn in the most intimate of places, but she knew that now was not the time for her to initiate anything. She just needed to be what Quinn needed her to be.  
Quinn however didn't seem to have any qualms about initiating anything. She leveraged herself with her elbow and propelled herself on top of Rachel.

That was all the prompting Rachel needed. She pulled at the belt of the bathrobe and it easily fell open, revealing Rachel's favorite sight in the whole world. She was completely rapt when Quinn leaned back and pushed the robe off of her shoulders.

She moved back down on top of Rachel, capturing her lips. Then she did something completely uncharacteristic. She held onto the fabric of Rachel's shirt around her stomach and rolled onto her back, pulling Rachel on top of her.

Rachel was a little thrown. Not that she was complaining because, let's face it, a naked Quinn Fabray in one's bed is a good night. But she was just a little confused. They'd been sleeping together for almost two months and Quinn was always on top. Always. That was of course unless Rachel's tongue was doing that little thing between her legs that absolutely drove Quinn crazy. But even then, Quinn was in absolute control.

Being Rachel Berry meant that she needed to know why. She pulled away a few inches and found Quinn's eyes that finally caught the light coming in the window. Her eyes probed deep into Quinn's trying to find the answers she was looking for. When Rachel found her answer, she felt a wave of heat cascade over her body.

Quinn was too tired to try to control everything. She just wanted to let go and she trusted Rachel to take charge. That gave Rachel a surge of energy and turned her on more than she'd ever been in her whole life.

Rachel helped Quinn feel more than she ever had that night and when she came there were tears in her eyes. When Quinn tried to return the favor, Rachel shook her head and wrapped her arms around Quinn, letting her know that it wasn't needed.

That night Quinn didn't leave. She fell asleep in Rachel's arms, feeling content for the first time in a while.

* * *

Rachel sang "Musical Soulmate" by Mark Salling


	10. Chapter 10

Rachel had forgotten to turn off her alarm and her satellite radio started blaring at six thirty a.m. She rolled onto her side and flipped the switch turning it off. Then she rolled back over in the bed hoping to get back to sleep this Saturday morning. She buried her face in the pillow next to her, only to notice that the pillow was emitting heat and breathing.

Her eyes flew open and she came face to face with two green eyes and a mess of blonde hair. Quinn sleepily pushed the hair out of her face and sat up, the sheet pooling around her waist exposing her naked torso.

"Six thirty," Rachel answered, "I forgot to turn off my alarm. Sorry."

"It's okay," Quinn looked down at herself and pulled up the sheet, "Oh look at that."

Rachel rolled onto her stomach and put her arms under her pillow, resting her head on top of it, "Did you sleep okay?"

The blonde nodded, "I had a weird dream though."

"What was it about?"

"You and me were singing a duet at Regionals and after we won, I went to Disney World with me sister where we were chased around by Mickey Mouse," Quinn recalled with a slight smile.

Rachel laughed. Her laugh faded as she had an idea, "That's it!"

"What?" Quinn asked a little confused.

The diva got out of bed and walked over to the desk, searching for something, "You can tell everyone we were practicing for Regionals. You can say that we both wanted the opening solo and figured that we could just sing a duet. It makes complete sense. Finn's not as strong of a singer as you and no offense, but Sam isn't as good as me. I have a powerful Broadway voice and you…" Rachel trailed off when she found her iPod in the drawer. She turned to look at Quinn, "You have that sweet angelic voice that makes the audience melt."

The blonde in the bed smiled in a thank you to Rachel's compliment. Then she laid back down, "That actually sounds like people would buy it."

Rachel walked back to her bed with her iPod and offered it to Quinn, "I have an entire playlist of Broadway female duets. You can choose since I know all the songs and can sing both parts to every one."

Quinn nodded and looked through the songs, recognizing very few.

A knock on the door, nearly scared both girls to death. Rachel's dad calling through the door caused Quinn to panic more. "Rachel honey I heard your alarm go off. I was wondering if you wanted to help me make breakfast since your daddy had to go to work."

Rachel looked at Quinn and whispered, "Pretend to be asleep."

The blonde followed orders and laid down, pulling the covers up to her neck, facing away from the door.

Rachel got up and went to the door. She opened it and motioned for her dad to be quiet with a finger to her lips. She stepped outside and closed the door. "My friend came over last night because she's having a hard time. She's still asleep."

Her dad looked skeptical, "Are you sure it's a she?"

Rachel nodded with an amused smile, "I'm sure dad. When she wakes up we'll come to breakfast."

"Are you sure it's not Noah?" he asked, "He's a nice boy and all, but…"

"Dad!" Rachel's eyes widened at the implication, "It's most certainly not Noah Puckerman."

Her dad finally gave up, "Okay, well as long as she comes down for breakfast." He put his hands on his hips, "Are you going to help or wait for your mysterious friend to wake up?"

Rachel grinned, "I'll help. Let me go leave her a note okay? I don't want her to think I left her."

"What hard time is she having?" he looked at the door behind his daughter.

Rachel was about to answer, but the door opened behind her. Quinn peeked out around Rachel's shoulder, feigning sleepiness. Rachel was just relieved she was fully clothed in some of her gold star pajamas, "Oh sorry. I thought you left. I'll just go back…" She started going back into the room, but Mr. Berry stopped her.

"There's no need," he smiled, "I don't believe we've met."

"I'm Quinn," Quinn smiled brightly and offered her hand to him.

He shook his, "I'm Trevor. Rachel and I were about to go downstairs and cook breakfast. It's usually quite a spectacle. You're more than welcome to come watch."

"Sounds fun," she nodded and watched Rachel quirk an eyebrow at her.

They all made their way downstairs. Trevor had to go back to his bedroom to get his cell phone, leaving the girls in the kitchen.

"How did you know what I said?" Rachel whispered to Quinn.

The blonde smirked, "I was listening through the door. Why does your dad think you're sleeping with Puck?"

"Wishful thinking," Rachel explained, opened the refrigerator, "He wants me to marry a nice Jewish boy without actually sleeping with him beforehand."

Quinn laughed as Trevor walked back him. He smiled at her, "What's so funny?"

"The fact that you can't get it through that thick Jewish skull of yours that Noah and I broke up," Rachel teased her father.

He put his hands up in the air, "Fine. I accept that you and Noah broke up." He walked over to the cabinet, "So Quinn, what do you want for breakfast?"

"What you're making," she sat down on a stool at the island in the kitchen.

"I like her," Trevor smiled at Rachel.

The shorter girl glanced at Quinn with a smile that Quinn mirrored. "Yeah me too."

Quinn smiled until Rachel looked away and then ducked her head. It hurt her how much she wanted Rachel's like to be more than platonic. Last night, while she was falling asleep, she finally started to realize how much Rachel meant to her; what an important part of her life Rachel had become. Although Rachel's actions could be construed as Rachel wanting to be more, Quinn convinced herself that Rachel was just being a good friend which Rachel had been to her on more than one occasion, even when she didn't deserve it.

"I'm thinking waffles," Trevor looked at the two girls.

"Perfect," Quinn smiled.

As Rachel and Trevor waltzed around the kitchen making waffles, Quinn's phone rang in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw her mom's name flash across the screen. She had completely forgotten about telling her mom she was spending the night at Rachel's house.

"Excuse me," Quinn told the father and daughter before stepping into the living room.

Trevor leaned over to his daughter and whispered, "Wasn't she the pregnant one?"

Rachel nodded.

"Where's the baby?" he asked, opening the waffle maker to see if it was done.

Rachel glanced at the kitchen door to see if Quinn had come back, "Shelby adopted her."

"Really?" he asked, surprised.

Rachel nodded. "That was after the whole Regionals debacle."

Quinn pushed the door to the kitchen open and sat down at the counter again.

"Everything okay?" Trevor asked her.

The blonde nodded, "I was just so…tired last night that I forgot to call my mom." She rested her chin in her palm to watch them.

They all had a fun and entertaining breakfast before Trevor shooed the girls away to have fun while he cleaned the kitchen. He even gave Rachel her allowance early so they could go do something fun.

"What are you plans for today?" Quinn asked nonchalantly as she went through Rachel's closet trying to find something Fabray worthy.

Rachel shrugged, "Every Saturday I work out for two hours after breakfast before going to the dance studio to practice, but lately I've been getting my exercise elsewhere so I've just been watching movies."

Quinn giggled, "Do you want to go to the movies? I'm in an action movie kind of mood."

Rachel looked at Quinn from her place at her desk, "Like in public?"

"Why not?" Quinn asked, pulling out long sleeved blue shirt and some jeans.

"What if someone sees you with me?" Rachel asked quietly, "They might think Santana is telling the truth."

Quinn turned to her and held the outfit up in front of her, "No one we know will see us where we're going. I'm taking you to me secret hideout."

Rachel quirked an eyebrow, "Your secret hideout?"

The Cheerio dropped the clothes on the bed and peeled her shirt off, "Trust me."

It wasn't like Rachel was going to argue with a half-naked Quinn. So she just nodded and got dressed, trying to keep her eyes to herself because if she didn't they'd probably end up being late to the movie at Quinn's secret hideout.


	11. Chapter 11

Quinn assured Rachel that Santana wasn't going to take any more pictures of them when they walked out to Quinn's car. Especially since both Santana and Brittany's cars were absent from the Pierce driveway.

"They're probably at Santana's house," Quinn shrugged. However when she got to her car, there were more pictures under her windshield wipers.

Rachel looked at Quinn to see if she would be upset. After looking at the pictures, Quinn rolled her eyes. When she saw Rachel looking at her, she joked, "I wish Santana would take pictures of my good side."

In Rachel's mind, a cheesy and sweet reply came out 'All your sides are good'. However her mouth wasn't as openly or publicly affectionate. She just let out an understanding smile and got into the passenger's seat.

When Quinn turned the car on music filled the car. She quickly turned it down to a normal level with a slightly embarrassed smile to Rachel.

Rachel looked questioningly at Quinn, "Was that Frank Sinatra?"

"And Nancy Sinatra," Quinn explained, "One of very few duets they did together." She put the car into drive with a shrug, "I like them together."

Rachel listened as they drove and commented when the song was over, "That was a great song."

"Thanks," Quinn smiled, "I mean I didn't write it or anything."

"I hope not," Rachel laughed, "Otherwise you'd probably be the world's oldest cheerleader."

Quinn chuckled and relaxed completely now that her taste in music wasn't being criticized. When the other cheerleaders or football players heard her music they told her it was horrible or strange.

The next song came on and Rachel squealed, "I love this song!" She turned up the music and started singing along.

"You definitely don't strike me as a New York, electronic, indie music kind of person," Quinn smiled at the passenger.

Rachel grinned, "You think I only listen to Show tunes and Celine Dion?"

Quinn was slightly embarrassed for thinking so, "Well…I'm sorry."

The shorter girl laughed, "There's no need to be sorry. So I have crazy eclectic taste in music. No one really knows that. Except my dads when I'm listening to Chairlift," she gestured to the radio playing said band on it, "and they have to come up to my room and ask me to turn it down."

Quinn shook her head. Rachel didn't make fun of her music and even liked the same bands. That was important for any teenage relationship. Common interests were especially important to a relationship that wasn't quite definable yet.

"So where is this secret place you're taking me to?" Rachel looked around at the neighborhood they were driving in. It was getting sort of sketchy as they went along. Residential houses were turning into small restaurants and warehouses.

"It's s surprise," Quinn saw the look on Rachel's face and assured her, "We're not going somewhere you'll get hurt. I promise."

"I know," Rachel mentioned, "I just…" she trailed off as Quinn pulling into a seemingly stand-alone parking lot that only had three other cars in it.

Quinn smiled and got out of the car, while Rachel was reluctant to get out of the car. When Quinn tapped the hood of the car Rachel finally got out.

"We'll go in for a few minutes and after that if you're still uncomfortable we can leave," Quinn smiled and led the way down a small walkway that seemed like a tiny alley. Then she pushed open a metal door at the end of it. Rachel looked up at the hotel style awning that had seen better days.

When she stepped inside though, she was blown away. The plush carpets underfoot made way to a large wooden desk that was makeshift ticket counter. The walls were wood paneled up to a chair rail where heavy purple velvet drapes ended. It all seemed like something out of an old movie.

The guy at the ticket counter put down his book and smiled when they walked up, "Hey Quinn, you finally brought someone with you." Rachel surveyed his Lima College t-shirt which was a deviation from what she normally saw in movie theatre's.

"Yeah," Quinn smiled at Rachel before turning back to the guy, "Any good action movies playing today?"

"You're in luck," he chucked, "We have one starting as soon as you sit down."  
"Awesome," Quinn took out her wallet and handed the guy an amount of money that Rachel couldn't quite see.

He pulled out two cups and handed them over, "Theatre three."

She picked them up and nodded, "Thanks Matt."

Quinn lead Rachel though a curtain that served as the door, into what looked exactly like a regular movie theatre, but a lot smaller. It looked to seat only about fifty people. Before they got to the chairs, Quinn handed Rachel a cup and turned to the back wall of the theatre. There they found a dimly lit soda fountain, a picture of what looked to be grape Kool Aid and a keg. Next to that was a popcorn machine with paper bags stacked next to it.

"Is this place legal?" Rachel whispered to Quinn.

The blonde laughed, "I hope so. I kinda love it here." She used to cup to get some soda and Rachel followed suit. Then Quinn got some popcorn and then let Rachel pick where they sat. Rachel had picked two seats that were in the exact middle of the theatre.

"We're ready!" Quinn called as she got comfortable in her seat and put her seat up on the seat in front of her.

"Okay!" the guy from earlier called.

Rachel looked behind them and saw the small opening for the projector room. Matt was in there fiddling with the projector until the reel started movie. Then he disappeared and the lights dimmed.

"I've never been anywhere like this," Rachel commented, "How did you find it?"

"My sister's fiancé owns it," Quinn mentioned, "His parents are loaded or something and he keeps getting the family money if he runs a business."

"Do you get like a family discount or something?" Rachel joked, but at the forced emotionless look on Quinn's face, her smile faded.

"As far as Taylor Fabray is concerned, I don't exist anymore," Quinn's finger traced the lip of her cup as she spoke, "She thinks it's my fault that our parents broke up."

"It wasn't your fault," Rachel assured her, "You know that."

"Yeah," Quinn sighed and finally looked at Rachel, "Anyway her fiancé Jason still thinks of me as his little sister so I get to hang out here whenever I want and I never get carded if I want some beer."

Rachel nodded understandingly. She wanted to reach out and take Quinn's hand, but they were in public, albeit an empty movie theatre and she wasn't sure if it was okay with the Cheerio. So she looked around one last time as the movie started. This place was effin' cool and it meant a lot to her that Quinn told her the story behind this place.

As the previews rolled, Quinn offered Rachel some popcorn. Rachel took some and popped it in her mouth. Quinn smiled and watched as Rachel's eyes kept darting around, noticing something new with every passing glance.

One question still lingered in Rachel's mind, "You've never brought anyone else here?"

Quinn shook her head, not moving her eyes from the screen, "I can't bring just anyone to my secret hideout."

A smug smile appeared on Rachel's lips as she leaned back into her seat. She wasn't just anyone. She was special. At least when it came to Quinn's secret hideouts.

There wasn't much interaction during the movie. Rachel did lean into Quinn a few times when the suspense was high, but there was no other physical interaction.

When the movie was finally over, they both looked at each other and smiled.

"That was a great movie," Rachel blinked as the lights grew brighter.

Quinn just smiled and nodded. They walked to the back and refilled their drinks before they walked out of the theatre.

As they entered the lobby they saw that someone had joined Matt at the front desk. He was a tall, very handsome, man with brown hair that looked like it was few months overdue for a haircut and a two day old five o'clock shadow.

"Hey Mini Me!" he called when he saw Quinn. She smiled when she saw him and hugged him when they got close enough.

"Hey Jason," Quinn looked up at him.

"What have you been up to?" he leaned on the ticket counter.

"Just school, cheerleading and glee," she answered with a shrug. She looked back at Rachel, "This is Rachel."

"Hey you're that girl from that singing thing I went to," he extended his hand with a friendly smile. "You have an amazing voice."

"Thank you," Rachel smiled back. She liked this guy already.

Jason looked back at Quinn, "When's your next glee match or tournament or whatever?"

Quinn wasn't really sure so she looked to Rachel who answered, "Three weeks."

"Awesome," he nodded, "I will also be in New York when you guys go to Nationals."

"I hope we'll be there," the blonde chuckled.

"We definitely will," Rachel assured both of them, "Especially since Quinn will be starting the show off with a bang."

"You will?" Jason asked, "You're really taking over that glee club aren't you?" He hugged her again, "I'm so proud of you."

Quinn beamed, "Thanks J."

"Oh yeah!" he smirked, "About your Cheerleading competition in Japan…"

"You can't come," Quinn's eyes found the floor, "I understand. It's a really long way away."

"Are you kidding?" he hugged her to his chest again, "Have I ever missed one of your competitions?"

"No," Quinn giggled.

"I was just going to ask if you could sneak away for a while so we can go sightseeing…"

Rachel smiled at the interaction. She never knew that Quinn had had such a cool brother-in-law. That sort of explained how, while she was kicked out, that Quinn still kept her cell phone and her car.

"Well we have to go rehearse," Quinn finally said when she noticed Rachel standing there zoning out.

"Right on," he nodded. He looked at one of the theatre doors and pointed, "Hey look at that."

Quinn looked and Rachel saw Jason slip something into Quinn's purse. The blonde didn't seem to notice, but Jason saw that Rachel saw him. He winked at her and waved, "It was nice to meet you Rachel."

"You two," she smiled and followed Quinn out the door.

As they walked out to the car, Rachel mentioned, "He put something in your purse."

Quinn had a surprised smile on her face, "Are you serious?" She looked into her and pulled out a folded bill. When Quinn unfolded it, she discovered that Jason just slipped two hundreds into her purse.

"He's pretty awesome," Rachel mentioned.

Quinn nodded, "Yeah he is." She unlocked the car and opened Rachel's door for her, "Let's get some lunch and then we'll go practice."

Rachel chuckled, "I'll have to get my dads to go out so they're not turning up to TV to try and drown me out."

"We can just go to the school," Quinn leaned on the door.

"It's Saturday," Rachel stated.

The blonde looked down at the keys in her hand and picked up one, showing it to Rachel, "Master key to the school."

"Are you serious?" Rachel asked, wide-eyed at Quinn.

"I'm the head Cheerio," Quinn smirked, "I can do whatever I want." With that she closed Rachel's door and walked to the driver's side of the car.


	12. Chapter 12

There was something creepy about being in the school when no one else was there so Rachel stuck close to Quinn. The blonde didn't seem to have a problem being in the school when no one was there. She just walked through the halls like she normally did.

When they got to the glee room, they put their lunch on one of the chairs and sat on either side of it, facing forward just like they were waiting for Mr. Schue.

Rachel sipped her drink and stared forward, keeping her eyes to herself. Now that there were no distractions or anything to look at that was out of the ordinary, she found herself at a loss of something to say. She took a deep breath and turned her head, finding Quinn tapping her fingers on her cup and staring at the floor.

"I guess we should pick a song," Rachel suggested. She walked to the whiteboard and picked up a marker. She paused with the marker poised to write, "There's I Dreamed a Dream."

"It's too overdone," Quinn stated, taking her white cardboard box out of the bag and broke apart her chopsticks.

"Okay," Rachel brought her arm down and turned to Quinn, "Love song or angst song? I'm vetoing any and all comical songs right now."

The blonde thought it over mixing up her stir-fry. "It doesn't matter. It just has to sound good."

"Okay," Rachel turned back to the board and started writing. When she was done Quinn had a grand total of six songs to choose from, none of which she'd ever heard of.

"I'm not singing any of those songs," Quinn shook her head and stood up, "Especially not one from a play called 'The Best Little Whore House in Texas'."

Rachel had taken into account both of their vocal ranges, the duration and temp of the songs, and how well each song would show off their vocal abilities. She didn't take into account that Quinn might just flat out reject them all.

Rachel sighed, frustrated. She leaned onto the piano, "Fine. What suggestions do you have?"

"A song everyone knows," Quinn stated, walking toward the filing cabinet where all the music was kept. She set her food on top of it and opened the top drawer starting to rifle through.

"Britney Spears," Quinn called.

"No," Rachel said flat out, "Barbara Streisand."

"You wish." The blonde paused, "Christina Aguilera."

"Cher."

"Leona Lewis."

"Etta James."

"Ke$ha."

"Liza."

"I found it!" Quinn called. Rachel looked up from the piano and over at the blonde who was walking over to her holding two pieces of sheet music. She handed Rachel one and set hers on top of the piano.

"If we're going to sing this don't you think we should have the same sheet music?" Rachel looked at the paper Quinn hand and then at the one she had.

The head Cheerio shook her head, "We're doing a mash-up."

Rachel looked at the two songs and thought it over. The two songs were sung by the same person and as far as she could see the mash-up would sound pretty awesome. She glanced at Quinn who seemed like she was trying to hide her impatience for Rachel's verdict.

"This is a really great idea Quinn," Rachel had to admit it. A mash-up of Pat Benatar's "Love Is A Battlefield" and "Heartbreaker" would be perfectly contrasting, especially with their different types of voices and the songs were relatable.

Quinn just nodded and went back to the filing cabinet to get her lunch. Rachel pushed off of the piano. She had to get the music mixed together before they could start practicing so she walked into the little office Mr. Schue had right off of the glee room. She situated herself behind her computer and got to work.

Quinn noticed that Rachel hadn't touched her food. The blonde looked to Rachel who was now staring at the computer screen. Her eyes were hyper focused on the bars and sound waves that she has to splice and blend. She bit her lip and rested her chin on her palm.

A sigh escaped her lips as Quinn picked up Rachel's food and walked into the office. She set it down on the desk in front of her and turned on her heel, walking right back out the door.

Rachel momentarily took her eyes off of the screen to watch Quinn walk away. She smiled briefly before she turned back to the computer.

When Rachel finally finished, she found Quinn laying across a few of the red plastic chairs, staring at the ceiling. Instead of interrupting, Rachel put the CD she had just finished making into the CD player on the piano and sat on the piano bench.

The combined riffs of the beginning songs floated out of the speakers. Quinn turned her head toward the piano and saw Rachel sitting there on the bench with her hands folded between her knees. One of her legs was tilted in more than the other and her eyes were closed as she listened to the music for any imperfections.

A warm rush engulfed Rachel's body. She tilted her head up and opened her eyes knowing why she was suddenly so warm. Quinn's form engulfed her vision. The head Cheerio was standing right in front of her, looking down at her. She knew the look in Quinn's eye. It had been the same look that Rachel herself got in her eye right after Quinn brought her lunch to her.

However instead of waiting of Quinn to take action, Rachel placed her hands on the side of Quinn's knees and slowly ran them up her demin covered thighs until her fingers pushed up the shirt Quinn was wearing exposing her lean stomach. Rachel leaned forward and gently kissed the area right above the top of Quinn's jeans.

The simple action caused a moan to erupt from Quinn's throat. She felt her jeans instantly become looser and when she looked down, she saw that Rachel had already unbuttoned the top button and was in the process of pulling the zipper down, slowly revealing the light pink panties underneath.

Even though Quinn knew this was exactly where they were going to end up, she didn't think Rachel would go that fast. Her head fell back as Rachel nipped at the skin right above the top of the panties. "What are you doing?" Quinn breathed, feigning like she hadn't planned for something like this to happen.

Rachel tugged the jeans down a few inches and played with the hem of the panties, still teasing the skin above it. Against the tender skin, her lips were currently press to Rachel mumbled, "Exactly what you want me to."

That statement gave Quinn a funny feeling in her stomach. It wasn't the excited, sexual excitement Rachel usually gave her. She couldn't quite place it so she pushed it aside and looked down at Rachel who seemed to be thinking, her hands paused, curled over the top of Quinn's leans.

Before Quinn could ask her what was wrong Rachel stood up and buttoned Quinn's jeans. Rachel took her hand and pulled her out of the classroom.

"Where are we going?" Quinn asked, allowing Rachel to lead her and surprisingly loving that she's walking with down the hallway holding hands with Rachel.

"We can't have sex in the glee room," Rachel explained in her usual over explicative way. "There's no where to lay down but the floor which is quite frankly disgusting. Plus there are no walls that don't have something on them and if I ever want to be able to concentrate in glee again, we can't do it in the chairs." She pulled open the door to the theatre and led Quinn backstage. They walked to the middle of the stage and Rachel dropped Quinn's hand.

Quinn watched at Rachel walked along the floor, staring intently at it. She apparently found what she was looking for when she knelt down and pulled open a small metal cover that Quinn had never noticed before. Under the cover was what looked to be a handle of some sort. Rachel pulled on it and a small door in the stage floor opened up. Quinn peered down into the hole, but couldn't see much down there. It looked pretty deep.

"Is this like a dungeon or something?" Quinn asked, looking at Rachel who was looking into the hole.

Rachel laughed, "Definitely not. Now do you want to go first or shall I?"

"Go first?" Quinn asked, "I can't see down there."

"I guess you're just going to have to trust me," Rachel added quietly. Her voice had more insecurity in it than she wanted it to.

Quinn felt Rachel's eyes probing her face for an answer so she nodded, "Alright. Are there stairs or what?"

Rachel held out her hand to Quinn and the blonde tentatively took it.

"When we jump try to land on your butt or your back," Rachel explained.

At the word just Quinn's eyes grew wide. Rachel saw this and giggled. Rachel pushed onto her toes and captured Quinn's lips in a sweet, yet enticing kiss. As she pulled away she gently ran her teeth over Quinn's bottom lip. She stayed close and whispered, "I'll make it worth your while."

"Okay let's go," Quinn could barely choke out. She had no doubt that Rachel was going to make it more than worth her while.

"One, two, three," Rachel counted for Quinn's benefit before jumping and feeling the blonde do the same next to her.

Quinn closed her eyes and waited to hit something hard. However her jump slowed to a stop when they hit one of the softest things she'd ever felt. She felt Rachel's hand disappear from her own. Before she could ask Rachel where she was going, she felt the shorter girl straddling her and their lips crashing together.

It was pitch dark under the stage sans the small amount of light coming through the trap door. Quinn felt her other senses heighten. The smell that is distinctly Rachel drifted up her nose and floated around in her brain until all cognitive thoughts in her brain were gone. She felt Rachel lean back and heard some clothes rustling before Rachel pinned her to the soft surface under them with a kiss.

Quinn's hands went to Rachel's back where she came into contact with bare skin. All the air rushed out of her lungs as she ran her hands up Rachel's back realizing that Rachel had removed her shirt and bra in about half the time it would have taken Quinn to get it off.

Rachel moved her lips back down to the space between the bottom of Quinn's shirt and the top of her jeans. Rachel focused solely on Quinn's stomach for a while, kissing, licking, and biting every inch of taunt skin that was exposed. The Cheerio heard Rachel softly hum while she did it and could swear that she heard Rachel murmur, "So beautiful," at least twice.

"Rach," Quinn moaned, trying to convey a need that was difficult to express.

Since they'd been doing this for a while, Rachel knew exactly what she meant. She soon moved back up to Quinn's lips, starting to liberate Quinn from her jeans.

She was surprised when Quinn's hands went straight to her breasts, kneading and massaging them until Rachel's breathing got so ragged that had to break the kiss and rest her head on Quinn's shoulder to catch her breath.

Quinn let out a smug smirk into the dark. She knew how to make Rachel squirm and moan and she loved it. However she wasn't ready for Rachel to recover so fast and plunge her hand down the front of her jeans and bypass her panties, sliding two deft fingers straight into her.

"Oh god Rach," Quinn breathed and started squirming.

It was Rachel's turn to smugly smirk.

After that it didn't take long for Quinn's voice to echo off of the theatre walls. Rachel gently kissed Quinn on the lips and kissed her face and neck until her breathing was back to normal. Then she disappeared. Quinn heard clothes shuffling again and then Rachel's shuffling steps away from her.

Suddenly a soft light filled the small space. Quinn looked around. Her eyes stopped on Rachel who was standing next to a lamp that was on the concrete floor, fully clothed. Quinn looked under her and saw that she was laying on a huge stack of the Cheerio's spare practice mats.

She slowly slid off of the mats and adjusted her shirt and bra before buttoning and zipping her jeans. Then she walked over to where Rachel was. There was a smaller stack of mats next to the lamp and a stack of books next to that.

"What is this place?" Quinn asked, looking at Rachel.

The songstress smiled softy, "This is the orchestra pit. Since we don't have an orchestra, it gets used as Cheerio's storage. And since you guys get new stuff all the time, everyone pretty much forgot about this stuff. I usually come down here after someone slushies me or the insults get really bad…" her voice faded out at the end and her head tilted down a little bit. She looked up at Quinn with innocent, sad eyes and offered a small smile, "You showed me your secret hideout. This is mine."

Quinn had the undeniable urge to hug Rachel, but instead of acting on it, she looked around again. "It's pretty cool."

"Not as cool as a your brother-in-laws movie theatre," Rachel answered, kneeling down to straighten her stack of books.

"At least here you won't accidentally run into my sister," Quinn gave an awkward chuckled before looking up at the door they jumped through. "Um, how are we going to get out?"

Rachel pointed to the other end of the orchestra pit and there was a little door at the other end. "We should probably start practicing anyway."

Quinn nodded and followed Rachel out of the theatre and back into the glee room so they could start rehearsing.


	13. Chapter 13

Santana was furious when Quinn and Rachel called a before school glee meeting and announced that they wanted to sing the duet for Regionals. Quinn made sure to stay that she had been going to Rachel's house a lot to practice and Rachel made sure to over exaggerate her need be part of the duet and explained how Quinn was the perfect partner because she was well liked and had an accessible voice.

Mr. Schue let them perform which went off without a hitch. Everyone clapped except Santana who glared at them from the back of the room. She looked over at Brittany who was also clapping, but when she saw Santana looking at her she stopped.

Mr. Schue looked at the time and told everyone that they could vote on it when they got closer to Regionals, but he also expressed his delight that the two were getting along and working so well together.

Quinn walked through the hallway with a cocky smile on her face and her Cheerio skirt swaying. She knew that she had just put Santana back into her place and if Santana did release those pictures, no one would take her seriously.

However when she was walking to her car to go to lunch, Quinn heard loud talking in the near empty hallway. Not many people took their lunch break in the hall. Quinn could hear Finn talking around the corner.

"Why are you doing this to me?" he asked. He sounded a little pissed and slightly wounded.

"What am I doing to you?" Rachel asked back. She just sounded pissed.

He paused, "Is it because I don't like to watch those movies in other languages with you?"

"Of course not. It's ludicrous for you to think that I'd break up with you because you fell asleep during one of the greatest French films of all time." Her voice was a little condescending and Quinn was a little surprised by the tone.

"I couldn't keep up with all the words on the bottom of the screen," Finn defended himself albeit weakly. Then he stated, "I really tried to be interested in all that artsy stuff you love."

Rachel sighed. Quinn could see Rachel's shoulders drop in her mind. "I know you did."

Finn exhaled loudly, "Did you want to take a break because you wanted to go out with Puck?"

"No."

"Then why did I hear from Santana that you keep going over to his house?"

Quinn was curious to hear this too. She only knew of one time that she went to Puck's house.

"Because he doesn't judge me like you do! Or spy on me! Jesus Finn! He asked me to go over to his house because he was having a hard time dealing with his emotions. You're supposed to be his best friend! Maybe if you weren't so caught up in being the all-star quarterback and sleeping with Santana you would know."

"Why do you have to always bring that up?"

"Because you never did," Rachel stated with finality. "This break is over. We're over Finn."

Quinn heard the shuffling of feet and looked around for somewhere to hide, but the big Yeti feet to Finn made their way toward her. She pulled out her phone and started walking around the corner, pretending to be engrossed in a text. Finn walked right past her without saying anything, but Rachel practically plowed her over on the way out.

"I'm so sorry," Rachel answered, her eyes shining with unshed tears. She looked slightly embarrassed when she saw it was Quinn. Then without warning Rachel took off down the hallway and disappeared around the corner.

Rachel went straight to her hiding place. She opened the trap door and limply dropped down onto the stack of mats not bothering to move off of them to where she usually read. She just laid there, staring at the lights and curtains hanging above her.

She didn't know how long she was laying there before she heard footsteps echo on the wooden stage floor. She closed her eyes and hoped that whoever it wasn't didn't figure out or care that she was there.

The footsteps stopped very close to her, but Rachel just wanted to be left alone. She kept her eyes closed. That is until something softly fell to a stop right next to her on the mats. She looked up at it and found a paper bag next to her head. She looked up at the opening and didn't see anyone there. She heard the footsteps walk away and knew she couldn't get to where she could see who it was before they were gone so she turned her attention to the bag.

She slowly opened it and found a pint of sorbet and a spoon inside. Rachel smiled and let out a content sigh. She was almost positive she knew who this was from. Only three people knew or seemed to care that Rachel was a vegan and that sorbet was one of the few treats she enjoyed partaking in. Two of them were her parents.

Quinn stormed into her brother-in-law's movie theatre right after Cheerio practice got out. She needed a drink. She couldn't seem to control her action and that was not part of the plan. The plan was to not get attached and here she was a hot mess because she didn't want to care, but she did. She cared way too much.

Instead of paying the guy at the counter like she usually did, she walked straight to the drape covered wall and pushed it aside revealing a door. The guy at the counter just turned back to his book as she opened the door and closed it behind her, the drapes falling back into place.

Quinn walked up the stairs into the projection room. Quinn walked around, looking at all the projectors and what they were playing. None of the movies interested her so she sat down in a wooden chair that was next to one of the projectors and stared out at the easiest movie to see.

She glanced down at the people in the theatre There were a lot more than she expected for a Monday afternoon and she was glad that she passed up the alcohol that crossed her mind as she walk in.

The door opening behind her drew her attention from the movie playing in front of her. She turned around and saw Jason standing there with his same carefree smile that he always had.

"Hey short stuff," he closed the door, "What's going on? Last time I found you up here with that look on your face you had an Eggo in the toaster."

Quinn couldn't help, but laugh. Jason was always good at making her laugh when she was in a horrible mood. She sighed and kicked her feet across the old wooden floor, "That's definitely not the problem this time.

He leaned back on one of the projection tables next to her, their telltale clicking filling the small room. "Then what's up?"

Quinn thought about telling him about the problem she'd been having. About the unwanted feelings she was developing. But as much as Jason was her confidant, he was still with her sister who would use any secret that slipped out of Jason against her.

"It's no big deal," Quinn looked down at the floor then back up at him as an idea popped into her head, "Do you remember when you said that if I had any ideas for the theatre to let you know?"

"Yeah," he put his hands on his pockets, "Did you have a stroke of genius?"

She smiled at him, "Yeah. I was thinking…"

Wednesday morning Rachel walked into the kitchen to get something to eat before school. She was a little down because Quinn hadn't come over for two nights in a row. She was starting to wonder if Quinn was done with her.

"Hey honey," her dad smiled when she walked in. He poured her some orange juice and set it on the table for her.

She walked over to it and slumped into the chair, "Hey dad."

He rubbed her shoulder, "Oh I almost forgot." He walked over to the counter and picked up what looked suspiciously like an invitation. "We all got invited to the first annual Lima foreign film festival benefit for the Lima women's shelter. It says William McKinley High students get in free and it's formal. Do you want to go?"

Rachel nodded, "Sounds fun. Where is it?"

Her dad looked at the invitation closer, "It's at a theatre in across town. It looks like it's in that neighborhood with all the warehouses."

Rachel's eyes shot up to her dad. Then she looked thoughtfully at her orange juice. It was entirely plausible that Quinn picked up on her love of foreign films, but she didn't want to get her hopes up. Her feelings for Quinn seemed to be entirely unrequited. Besides, it seemed unlikely that it was meant for her if it was supposed to benefit for the women's shelter.

Quinn sat down in glee that same day, waiting for everyone else to show up. She sat in the secluded upper corner of the chairs so that she most likely wouldn't have to sit next to Rachel. She decided that it was dangerous to keep going to Rachel's every night so for the past two nights, she locked herself in her room and thought about what she really wanted to be doing. She didn't count on the withdrawal she would go through though. She was angry with herself for becoming that dependant on another person. A year ago, after she got kicked out she promised herself that she'd never count on anyone other than herself like that. But now her hands started shaking just watching Rachel walk down the hallway at school, her breath got hitched when Rachel would look at her and when they were alone, Rachel made her feel things that Quinn knew no one else would be able to feel again.

Quinn was so wrapped up in her head that she didn't even notice Sam sit down next to her until he slid his arm around her. She forced a smile and let him kiss her.

"So what are you doing Friday night?" Sam asked, as the other glee kids filtered in. Rachel walking in caught Quinn's eye, but only for a split second before she turned back to Sam. "Because there's an awesome band playing downtown and since I didn't get a chance to take you out last weekend I want to make up for it."

Quinn looked at his hopeful smile and almost felt bad for telling him, "I'm going to a benefit film festival Friday night."

"That sounds fun," he offered.

"It's a foreign film festival," she explained, "You'd probably get bored."

"They're just movies," he shrugged, "How bad can it be?"

Quinn sighed. She really didn't want him to come. "They're all in French and you'd have to read the subtitles." She watched as his face turned slightly disappointed. She knew that French films and subtitles weren't really what football players wanted to deal with. Especially Lima football players. She added, "Besides do you even own a tux?"

"You have to wear a tux to watch movies? Why would anyone want to do that?" Sam asked, completely disinterested by now.

"Sam," Quinn put her hand on his shoulder, "I didn't ask you to come. Why don't you take Finn and Puck to the concert and we'll meet up Saturday?"

He nodded, "That sounds better."

Rachel smiled from her place in the front row. She was definitely going to that film festival now.

By the time Friday after school rolled around, Quinn felt like a junkie that needed a fix. She'd given in and gone over to Rachel's house at two a.m. Wednesday night because she couldn't sleep and all she could think about was Rachel. However she hadn't touched Rachel since then.

This film festival had taken on a life of it's own though. Once Jason agreed to do it and told Taylor about it, she took it over and made it a benefit. Luckily Taylor left the movie selection to Jason who let Quinn pick them out.

"Is she actually going to be here?" Quinn asked, as she helped Jason, Matt, and some other people decorate the lobby.

"She is organizing it," Jason offered with a shrug.

Quinn sighed, "Even when she won't talk to me, she still finds a way to butt in on my life."

Jason chuckled, "She still doesn't know that you had anything to do this. Thanks though. She thinks I'm brilliant now."

"It's a good thing she thinks you thought of it," Quinn commented as she started stacking champagne flutes behind the ticket desk, "If she knew I thought of it, she'd think it was the worst idea ever."

"She doesn't think you're stupid," Jason watched Quinn started to organize the flutes on a small table behind the ticket desk.

Quinn rolled her eyes, "Yes she does. Does she even know I'm coming?"

"That she does," he nodded, "And she looked kind of excited before she got mad that I let all the McKinley High kids in for free."

Quinn didn't believe it. Taylor would not be excited to see her. Taylor would probably spend the night avoiding her and sending her dirty looks from across the room.

About an hour later, Jason found Quinn surveying the room. He put his hand on her shoulder, "It looks awesome kiddo. You should probably go get ready."

Quinn nodded and checked her phone for the time. "Okay. I'll be back when it starts."

"Thanks for your help," he hugged her. Then he called after her as she walked to the door, "Go get pretty for whoever you're trying to impress."

Quinn paused by the door and looked back at him. He just smiled at her. She thought she was being sneaky about why she really wanted to do this. Maybe she was the only person that she was fooling.

"How do I look?" Rachel asked for the fifth time as she looked at herself in the mirror by the front door.

Her daddy paused to look into the mirror at himself before looking at her. She was wearing a cobalt blue evening gown and black strappy heels that made her look taller than usual. Her hair was down and wavy, relaxed around her shoulders.

"You look gorgeous," he smiled at her and kissed her forehead.

Rachel took a long, deep breath before picking up her clutch, "I wonder if there will be photographers there."

"I'm sure there will be," her dad walked up to the two in the entryway, "It's a huge benefit. A lot of my co-workers are going."

Rachel nodded. Photographers meant that she got a chance to practice for the paparazzi that she was likely to face as a Broadway star. It also meant that she was going to have to keep her eyes in check all night because if she didn't it was very likely that they'd get a picture of her oogling Quinn.

"Let's get this show on the road," her dad opened the door for his husband and daughter, "We don't want to be too late."

Quinn arrived to the packed parking lot right on time. She looked at herself one last time in the mirror. She smiled at herself in the mirror. She looked damn good in her black strapless down that fluttered around her ankles. It was simple and elegant accentuated by a necklace with a teardrop diamond on the end that her mother practically insisted that she wear.

Oh yeah, her mother. She sighed remembered that her mom was going to be there. Quinn took off in her own car before her mom could get out the door so she wouldn't be stuck to her mother's side all night.

Her hair was straightened and curled slightly at the ends. As she saw everyone walk in, she grew nervous. She had no idea if Rachel was there yet. She looked down the red carpet that her sister insisted on and saw a group of newspaper photographers getting people to stop and pose for them. She smiled to herself; Rachel was going to love this.

Quinn got out of her car and took her turn in front of the camera. Four flashes went off at once and she saw spots as she walked into the lobby. Matt was dressed in black pants, a white shirt, a black jacket, and a black skinny tie at the front door, taking people's money. He smiled at her when she walked by, giving her a wink.

The second she walked in she caught sight of her sister talking to a group of older people near the front door. She rolled her eyes and walked the opposite direction of her sister. She walked over to the ticket table, which was set up as a champagne bar for the time being. Jason was manning the champagne and smiled when she walked up. "You look awesome kid."

"Thanks," she smiled.

"Any sign of who we're trying to impress?" he asked handing her a champagne flute.

She shook her head, scanning the crowd, "Not yet." She eyed the glass he was handing her.

He chuckled, "It's just sparkling cider. I can't give you the real deal because the Chief of Police is here."

"That's probably a good thing," Quinn replied with a playful smile. She took a sip of the cider and turned back to the door just as her mom walked in. She turned to Jason, "Oh yeah. My mom is here."

He was pouring a glass for someone else and handed it off. "Thanks for the warning. I think I'm going to run upstairs and check on the projectors."

She giggled, "Good try, but I think she already saw you." Quinn waved at her mom to get her attention and then pointed to Jason.

"Real mature," he put his hands on his hips, but couldn't suppress a smile.

"Have fun," Quinn smiled widely at him and walked off. She was having a good night and she didn't think anything could ruin it.

Especially when she saw Rachel walk in. It quite literally took Quinn's breath away and made all of her muscles freeze. The blonde shook her head at herself. She kept trying to talk herself out of her feelings for Rachel, but it was painfully obvious that they were there in full force.

It seemed that the second she walked into the door, Rachel felt eyes on her and after half a second of scanning the crowd she found who was looking at her. A soft smile took residence on her face when she saw Quinn looking at her.

Rachel started walking over to her and her dads followed. When they got to Quinn her dad spoke first, "Quinn you look beautiful."

Quinn smiled, "Thank you. You three have to be the best dressed family in town."

All of the Berrys laughed and thanked her.

Then Rachel's dads saw some people they knew and walked off to mingle with them.

Quinn and Rachel just stood, looking bashfully at each other. Rachel was the one to break the silence, "Quinn, you look…" Why was delicious the only word that she could think of?

"Incredible," another voice finished for her.

_ Both girls ripped their eyes away from each other to see Sam standing next to Quinn, tuxedo and all._


	14. Chapter 14

Quinn felt like someone just punched her in the stomach. Seeing Sam knocked the wind out of her. She looked at Rachel who, speaking of violent reactions, looked like someone had just slapped her in the face.

Sam looked between the two girls. He didn't think he startled them that bad, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have interrupted-"

"I thought you were going to the concert," Quinn demanded, keeping her eye on Rachel because the shorter girl looked like she was ready to run at any moment.

Sam shrugged with his hands in his pockets, "Their set doesn't start until ten. I figure I can wait it out here until like nine thirty. I mean what kind of boyfriend would I be if I let you show up to a swanky event all alone?"

That was it. Rachel bolted. She couldn't handle Sam whipping out 'boyfriend' in front of her. She headed straight into the theatre she and Quinn first watched a movie in and walked straight to the seats they sat in.

Quinn lost Rachel in the crowd and sighed deeply. She turned back to Sam who looked more confused than usual. The Cheerio swallowed hard. She had a decision to make and she had to make it right now.

Quinn shook her head, "You want to go to the concert."

Sam quirked an eyebrow and tilted his head, "Is there something going on that I should know about?"

"No Sam," Quinn shook her head, "You just really want to go to the concert. You can call Puck and Finn on the way. Just please go."

Sam rocked back and forth from his heels to his toes. "Is there another guy?"

"What?" Quinn looked at him like it's the most ridiculous thing in the world.

"That guy keeps look at you," Sam jerked his head to the side.

Quinn followed his gesture and saw Jason watching from the champagne bar. He gave her a questioning look and pointed to Sam with a look that said 'do I need to take care of this?'.

"That's my brother," Quinn answered, "He owns this place."

Sam shot a panicked look at her before glancing back to Jason, letting out a nervous smile. "I think I'm going to go to the concert."

"Good idea," Quinn nodded, for once thankful of Jason's protective nature.

Sam leaned forward to kiss her, but stopped himself, throwing a brief glance back at Jason. "I'll-uh call you when the concert's over."

Quinn nodded. She felt like she should break up with him, but something inside of her felt like she needed the safety net of a boyfriend- just in case.

After Sam walked out, Quinn scanned the crowd for Rachel. She shouldn't care what Rachel thinks. After all, that wasn't part of the deal. None of this was part of the deal, but Quinn found herself needing to find Rachel and explain everything.

While she looked through the crowd, her eyes met the one person she didn't want to see tonight. Her sister was studying her for afar, analyzing what she was wearing and picking apart everything about her. It made Quinn feel dirty so she left her sister's side of the room and made her way to the projector room.

Again she found herself in the old wooden chair that she came to when she needed to think. If it wouldn't mess up her hair, Quinn would have ran her hands through her hair.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, shit, fuck, damnit," Quinn murmured to herself as she stared hard at the ground.

"You're pregnant again aren't you?" Jason asked from the door.

She wasn't in the mood for his happy go lucky attitude right now. She needed to be serious. She needed to figure out what the hell was going on.

When she didn't answer him, the smile fell from Jason's face. He walked over and knelt down in front of her. "Hey Quinn. I know I'm not usual good with all the serious stuff, but if you need to talk I'm always here. I know it may seem like it, but I don't tell Taylor everything you tell me."

Quinn sniffled; the storm of tears was moving into her eyes, "I'm just so…confused. I don't know what's going on with me. One minute I'm happy being the head cheerleader with my quarterback boyfriend, the next minute I'm…I'm just…I'm out of control. I can't stop myself from doing crazy things."

"You know that no one expects you to be perfect," Jason touched her shoulder, "You don't have to be in control all the time. Sometimes it's good to let go."

"But it'll ruin everything," Quinn mutters feeling a sense of déjà vu. She had this conversation with him before in that same room, in that same chair.

Jason stood up straight, "So what? It'll ruin everything."

"So what?" Quinn asked, standing up out of her chair, "What do you mean so what?"

"Who cares if you're having fun?" he asked, "You need to be out of control every once and a while. If you're in control all the time, you're going to have a heart attack or an aneurism or a stroke by the time you're twenty. You're a kid Quinn. You have to let go." He stood up straight and crossed his arms, watching Quinn.

Quinn sighed and managed to push the tears back. She shook her head, "I'm scared."

His heart broke for her. He knew she was going through something that he didn't understand that she was desperately avoiding telling him. He was trying to find something comforting to say when the lights flickered.

Quinn hugged Jason, "Thanks for trying to help."

He rubbed her back trying to offer her a little support.

When Quinn left, Jason took the setting up the reels and the projectors for the various showings of the different movies.

Quinn had given up on finding Rachel until after the films were over so she decided that trying to lose herself in a movie would be a good idea for a while. Most of the theatres were already filling with people, so Quinn grabbed a seat in the back row of the theatre with the least amount of people in it. She managed to get a hold of a glass of champagne, but it didn't last long as she sat in the back of the theatre, the lights dimming.

Just as the film started, Quinn heard someone mumbling about someone else making them late. She didn't bother looking up until that person sat down in the chair next to her.

Quinn looked at the people sitting in front of her, wondering if Rachel was anywhere in this theatre. When none of the silhouettes looked like Rachel, Quinn downed the rest of her champagne and leaned back in her chair to enjoy the movie.

The man next to her was whispering to the person next to him. Quinn rolled her eyes. If she was going to be one of those people, she was going to move. Probably all the way to her car.

"Daddy, be quiet!" a very familiar voice hissed.

The Cheerio leaned forward slightly and turned her head. Rachel was sitting between her dads, just two chairs over from her.

Rachel didn't see her, but Rachel's dad did. He smiled at her, "Hey Quinn."

At the mention of Quinn's name Rachel's head whipped to the side. In the faint light of the film her eyes met Quinn's. Rachel sat back in her seat and looked back at the screen.

It hurt to look at Quinn. They'd grown close or at least if felt like it and now Rachel was reminded that Quinn wasn't hers. She'd finally accepted that she wanted to be more than friends or late night rendezvous with Quinn. She'd even chosen Quinn over Finn when her real relationship was with Finn. Then Sam had to ruin everything by showing up. If Rachel hadn't come with her dads, she would have already left.

She leaned into her daddy. He smiled at her and put his arm around her before looking back at the movie. Quinn saw this and leaned back in her seat. There was no way she was going to be able to watch the movie now. She needed to talk to Rachel. She wasn't exactly sure what she was going to say. She didn't want Rachel to be sad but all of her feelings were still confusing her so she didn't think she could confess to anything. She just needed Rachel to not be mad at her.

Despite being deep in thought Quinn still got into the movie. She felt tears welling up in her eyes at the character's plight. She chanced a glance over at Rachel who was leaned forward in her seat, completely engrossed in the movie, tears running down her face. A smile tugged at the corners of Quinn's lips. Rachel was absolutely adorable when she got too into movie.

Quinn turned back to the movie when Rachel's dad caught her looking at his daughter. It seemed a little weird to be staring at Rachel in front of her dads.

When the lights went up a polite round of applause washed over the theatre. Everyone got up and started filing out. Rachel pretended like she didn't see Quinn and followed her daddy out of the aisle.

Quinn managed to get around Rachel's dad and called Rachel. The girl turned around, trying to keep herself under control.

The blonde was suddenly nervous. "Can we talk? Please?"

Rachel swallowed hard. She wanted to be able to resist talking to Quinn, but the other girl looked almost desperate. It's not like she'd ever been able to resist Quinn before.

"You two have half an hour until the next movie starts," Rachel's daddy smiled at both of them, oblivious to what was really going on,

Rachel nodded to him and then nodded to Quinn indicating that she would go with her. Quinn took off through the crowd all eagerly discussing the movie. Rachel was right on her tail and followed her through the secret door to the projector room. But when they got there, Quinn froze in the doorway so fast that Rachel literally ran into the back of her.

Rachel peered over Quinn's shoulder and saw a young woman who looked almost exactly like Quinn sitting in a wooden chair watching Jason change out the reels.

"Hey," Jason smiled at them, "We'll be done in a sec so you guys can hang out in here."

Taylor shot a disapproving look at her finance then to her sister. Then she turned to Jason, "Are you sure it's a good idea to leave her alone anywhere?"

Jason's head dropped and Quinn turned to her sister, "Why are you such a bitch?"

"Why are you such a slut?" Taylor quipped back, sipping her champagne.

"Taylor," Jason warned.

Quinn felt a gentle hand on her arm and Rachel whisper, "C'mon Quinn. We can go somewhere else." Before Quinn could respond, Rachel pulled her away from the door and back down the stairs.

This time Rachel led the way out the door, texting her dads on the way, letting them know where she was. Quinn automatically went to her car and Rachel got into the passenger's seat.

Neither one spoke as they drove and Quinn didn't even realize where she was going until she pulled into the driveway of her house. Once in Quinn's room, the blonde sat on the edge of her bed, while Rachel stuck close to the door.

Quinn looked at her hands in her lap and let her hair fall into her face.

Rachel thought she knew what this sadness was about so she softly offered, "You know you're not a slut."

Quinn nodded at the floor and then looked up at Rachel, "I'm not?"

"Of course not," Rachel fought the urge to walk over to the bed and put her arms around Quinn.

It was quiet again for a few minutes before Quinn kicked off her heels and spoke again. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Rachel asked wishing that they were out in public so she could control herself better. How sad Quinn looked was hard for Rachel.

"For everything," Quinn sighed and finally looked up at Rachel, "For this whole mess. You…deserve to be treated better. I'm so sorry."

Rachel finally moved to the bed and sat down next to Quinn, "Do you want it to stop?"

Quinn ignored the question and went on, "I'm so…messed up about this whole thing. I don't even know…. how I feel anymore."

"Can I ask you something?" Rachel asked softly, keeping her hands and arms to herself.

Quinn nodded, her eyes trained on Rachel.

"Tonight," Rachel paused, "The whole foreign film thing. Did you have anything to do with that?"

The blonde nodded, "It was my idea."

Rachel nodded. That confirmed one theory. Then she let out a small smile and asked, "Where'd you get that sorbet? It was delicious."

"I got it at that health food store on…" Quinn trailed off knowing that she just gave herself up. She wasn't actually planning to tell Rachel who anonymously dropped a pint of sorbet into the orchestra pit for her.

Rachel smiled knowing that she caught Quinn. She slowly reached across herself and took Quinn's hand, resting it in her lap. Rachel traced the lines on Quinn's palm as she spoke, "I don't think you should sneak through my window anymore."

Quinn's mouth suddenly went dry. She tried to speak, but no words would come out. She started to pull her hand away from Rachel, but the shorter girl firmly kept it in her lap.

"I think you should come through the front door," Rachel looked up at Quinn.

Quinn's eyes grew wide. "What do you mean?"

"I think that…" Rachel paused because this was going to be difficult for her to say, but she knew she had to, "As long as you're with Sam that our relationship should stay at friends. I realized that it wouldn't be fair to Finn if we kept sleeping together behind his back, but I also realized that…" Rachel reached up with one of her hands and gingerly cupped Quinn's cheek, "That I can't keep myself from you."

At the tender touch, Quinn's heart started to beat so hard that she was sure Rachel would feel it. She licked her lips wanting nothing more than to kiss Rachel and forget all about talking. It was just so damn frustrating. Tears filled her eyes and immediately started trickling down her face.

Rachel leaned forward and rested her forehead against Quinn's, closing her eyes. "I hate to see you cry." Rachel felt her resolve start to slip away, knowing Quinn's inner turmoil and know that a few more minutes of this and Rachel would forget that she just gave Quinn an ultimatum. A few more minutes and she would leave her window open at night for Quinn to sneak through and she would continue to be Quinn's secret.

Quinn wrapped are arms around Rachel's waist and pulled the other girl as close as she could without Rachel being in her lap. Rachel felt Quinn's need to be close and allowed Quinn to pull her back in.

Rachel carefully brushed some of Quinn's hair out of her face and bit her lip trying to keep herself from kissing Quinn.

Quinn's watery, downcast eyes broke Rachel's heart. "Can you…" Quinn trailed off. She didn't want to have to ask, but she knew she needed it. "Stay? Just for tonight… I think…" Quinn gave up on the words that wouldn't come and just sighed.

There was no way Rachel could say no to that. She just nodded, knowing that she was powerless when it came to Quinn.

The Cheerio nodded, a little relieved. "I'm going to go wash my face and change. I'll be right back."

Rachel nodded and wiped the tears from Quinn's face with her thumbs. The words, 'you're beautiful' started to come out, but never made it past her lips.

"Thank you," Quinn whispered before she retreated to the bathroom.

When Quinn was gone, Rachel texted her dads and told them that she got Quinn home, but her friend still wasn't feeling well so she was going to spend the night and take care of her. The reply was almost instant and she smiled slightly at her dads' concern for Quinn. Then she placed her phone on the nightstand next to Quinn's and dropped her head in her hands.

_She'd already broken her new rule. She didn't want to know it, but it was becoming evident that when it came to Quinn, there weren't any rules._


	15. Chapter 15

Quinn let Rachel pick out her own pajamas because she convinced herself that if she picked skimpy ones that Rachel would think that all she wanted was sex and that if she picked something too modest that Rachel would think that she didn't find her physically attractive anymore.

All this over thinking was giving Quinn a headache so when Rachel went into the bathroom to change Quinn laid down on her bed with her eyes closed.

"Um, Quinn?" Rachel's voice floated throughout the room.

Quinn opened her eyes and looked at the brunette who was standing by the bathroom door in her gown. She propped herself up on her elbows and wondering why Rachel was still in her dress.

Rachel hesitated for a moment before asking, "Can you unzip me?"

Quinn gulped, but didn't see a way out of it. She couldn't refuse. That would be weird. Plus, if she did Rachel would be stuck in her dress all night. Quinn sat up and nodded.

Rachel walked over to the bed and turned her back to Quinn. The blonde reached up and slowly took the zipper between her fingers. Rachel closed her eyes as Quinn painstakingly unzipped her dress. She wasn't sure if her heart stopped beating or started beating so fast it was vibrating. The cool air that met her skin as the zipper moved down, caused her to shiver.

The flawless skin that Quinn was slowly exposing was taunting her. She wanted nothing more than to kiss or touch the skin, but she promised herself that none of that was going to go on tonight. She just needed to sort things out and she wanted Rachel to stay because…well she couldn't quite figure that part out.

"All done," Quinn breathed as the zipper stopped just below the small of Rachel's back.

Rachel answered just as breathily, "Thanks." Then she walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

As turned on as she was Quinn was sure that she couldn't take care of it herself before Rachel got out of the bathroom. How pathetic would it look that Quinn was that turned on after just seeing Rachel's back?

Rachel was standing in the bathroom thinking the approximately the same thing. She had already changed into the tank top and the black yoga pants. She put her hair up in a ponytail and wished that she could just freeze time for five minutes. That was all she'd need.

Quinn crawled under the covers of her bed and tried to think of innocent things. She found it ironic that she was thinking of Finn's accident with the mailman to try and calm down. She was concentrating so hard on the mailman that she didn't know Rachel had come out of the bathroom until the shorter girl sat cross-legged on the foot of the bed.

Quinn adjusted her pillow so that she could look at Rachel without lifting her head. Rachel unconsciously put her hand on Quinn's blanket covered calf, gently stroking it with her thumb.

The gesture made Quinn lighten up a little. She felt less like a train wreck. She did realize however that she hadn't eaten since lunch at school and it was almost nine o'clock. "Are you hungry?"

Rachel nodded having forgotten about all of her vital organs except her heart, which was fluttering at random times and distracting her.

Quinn's first thought was to order pizza because it was easy, but then she remembered who she would be eating with. Quinn wasn't used to eating vegan, but she didn't mind sacrificing all animal products for Rachel. After a moment of thinking Quinn decided that there was nowhere in town that delivered vegan food so she got out from under the blanket. "C'mon."

Rachel followed her downstairs to the kitchen and leaned against the counter as Quinn searched the pantry and fridge for something to make. Quinn turned her head, "Do you want something to drink?"

"Water would be great," Rachel answered.

Quinn paused and turned to Rachel, studying her face.

The shorter girl knew what was going on and let out a soft smile, "I'm not sad. I'm just thirsty."

"Okay," Quinn nodded and got down a glass. After she filled it up, she set it on the small table in the kitchen where she and her mom ate most of their meals. "Have a seat and I'll find something to eat."

Rachel followed instruction and sat at the table, watching Quinn walked around the kitchen moving pots and pans and starting some water to boiling. She watched Quinn patiently read the ingredients in the dry pasta that she got out of the pantry before putting it back on the counter and closing the pantry door.

Quinn opened the refrigerator and got out a plastic container. She examined it before she opened it and smelled it. Rachel giggled when Quinn yanked the container away from her and scrunched up her nose. Quinn smiled shyly at Rachel as she threw the container in the trashcan.

As Quinn was getting some things out of the refrigerator and placing them on a cutting board, she looked at Rachel, "You can go watch TV or something. This is going to take like twenty minutes."

Rachel nodded, "I think I'm going to stay here. This is entertaining."

"Me cooking is entertaining?" Quinn quirked an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Rachel grinned, "You don't strike me as the domestic type."

Quinn chuckled, "Well I'm not so if this tastes like shit we're going to have to go get some Chinese food."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Rachel stood up because she couldn't see what Quinn was doing from her seat. Although she basically trusted Quinn, most people didn't understand everything vegans didn't eat. She hopped up on the counter a few feet from Quinn so she could watch.

After a few minutes Quinn added the pasta to the water and continued with chopping the spinach for what Rachel determined was going to be spinach pesto.

"You really didn't have to do this," Rachel took a sip of her water, "I'd be okay with a simple salad."

Quinn smiled and joked, "Now you tell me." As she put the finely chopped spinach into a bowl, she added, "It's really no problem." She didn't add that it also kept her hands busy so that she didn't have to fight them when they tried to touch Rachel.

"So," Rachel added, "What did you think of the film?"

Quinn paused as she stirred the spinach and whatever she added to it, "Um, it was sad, but that lady could sing really good."

Rachel nodded, "It's one of my favorites."

"Well if you just go to the theatre, Jason or Matt will play it for you whenever you want," Quinn offered, "I've gone there and watched My Fair Lady at least fifty times."

"You like My Fair Lady?" Rachel asked, surprised.

Quinn nodded, "I used to watch it with my mom when I was little. I don't think I ever really watched cartoons when I was little. Mostly soaps with my mom."

"Sounds like you and your mom were close," Rachel commented.

Quinn nodded, "I was always closer to her than my dad. Taylor was daddy's littler perfect angel."

The bitterness in Quinn's voice wasn't lost on Rachel. Before she could stop herself, she reached out and ran her fingers through Quinn's hair. "You're not going to be your sister. You're going to be you which is perfect in and of itself."

The blonde felt the resentment melt away at Rachel's words and touch. "Thanks."

Rachel retracted her hand and picked up her water, wrapping both of her hands around her glass. She looked down at the clear liquid in the glass taking a deep breath.

She jumped a little when Quinn cursed. She looked at the blonde and saw Quinn examining her hand. Rachel slid off of the counter and leaned over to look at what happened. "Are you okay?"

Quinn nodded and dropped her hand before Rachel could see it, "I'm fine. I just burned myself." She picked up an oven mitt before she picked up the pot the pasta was in.

It didn't take long after that for them to both sit down at the table, spinach pesto covered pasta in front of them. Rachel took a bite and chewed it before grinned, "Oh my god Quinn, this is amazing."

Quinn smiled a little proud of her own accomplishment, "I'm glad you like it."

It didn't take long for them to eat and clean up Quinn's mess. The adjourned back to Quinn's room. Quinn immediately picked up her phone that she forgot. She usually took her phone with her everywhere. Though this time she was glad she didn't when she saw a missed call from Sam.

They sat a little awkwardly on the bed, sort of looking at each other and looking away before Quinn yawned. She was emotionally exhausted from tonight.

"Let's go to bed," Rachel offered and reached for the lamp next to the bed.

It didn't take much to convince Quinn. She shimmied under the covers and held them up so Rachel could easily get under as well.

"Rach?" Quinn asked into the dark.

"Yeah," Rachel asked back, well aware of exactly how much space was between them. She tucked her hands under her pillow and tried to keep herself in a tight line so she didn't accidentally touch Quinn.

"Thanks for staying," Quinn offered.

Rachel smiled in Quinn's direction, "It's no problem. I-" She started add to it, but a buzzing filled the room.

Quinn pushed herself off of the bed and leaned over Rachel to get her phone off of the nightstand. She leaned dangerously close to Rachel and both girls were affected by it.

The blonde fell back onto her side of the bed and opened her text. She was worried that it maybe Sam, but was pleasantly surprised when it was Brittany.

Wanna go to the mall 2morrow?

Quinn replied and set her phone on the bed next to her. She felt the need to tell Rachel who it was and what they wanted because the brunette had fallen silent, "It's Brittany. She wants to hang out tomorrow."

"Oh," Rachel said with a nod, "Is Santana going to be there?"

"I just asked her that," Quinn replied, "I love Brittany, but Santana hates my guts. I don't get to hang out with B anymore."

"I bet."

Her phone buzzed again.

No. She's with her fam in Chicago. Rachel can come 2 if you want.

Quinn bit her lip. She felt like this was some sort of setup. Although Brittany wouldn't do anything malicious, Santana might have suggested it and made it some step in one of her evil plans. But Quinn missed Brittany and although the ditzy blonde had a strange knack for being able to sense when people were attracted to each other, it would be fun to hang out with Rachel too.

"Brittany wants to know if you want to come with us to the mall tomorrow," Quinn told Rachel.

When Rachel didn't answer immediately, she thought that Rachel fell asleep. Just as she was about to text Brittany back Rachel replied, "If it's okay with you."

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"Santana," Rachel answered.

"Santana is in Chicago," Quinn replied, "And she doesn't have any more pictures of me sneaking into your room so we can be friends, right?"

"Yeah," Rachel replied half-heartedly, "Friends."

Quinn texted Brittany back telling her to meet them at her house the next morning. Then she put her phone back on the nightstand, this time lingering a little with her arm over Rachel, hoping that Rachel would touch her or kiss her or something. She was dying and she didn't want to make the first move.

Rachel just lay frozen in her spot with her eyes closed wondering why Quinn was torturing her with the close proximity. So when Quinn got back in her spot they just lay there in silence, both lost in their own heads.

"Why is it so cold in here?" Quinn wondered out loud. She rolled onto her back and looked at the window of her room. It was closed all the way so that couldn't be it. Then she lifted her hand in the air to where the vent usually blew. Nothing was coming out of it.

Because they were upstairs and the room was slightly isolated, sometimes it got really cold in her room so she had an electric blanket between the other blankets on her bed. She reached blindly on the side of the bed wondering where the switch was.

"Are you cold?" Quinn asked as she continued to feel the side of her mattress trying to find the switch.

"Yes," Rachel lied. She wasn't cold. In fact, since she was in Quinn's room, alone with Quinn and so close to Quinn she thought she might have a heatstroke. But she hoped that if they were both cold Quinn would suggest cuddling. Technically Rachel wouldn't have initiated anything. She just initiated the initiation. So she was sort of abiding by her own rules.

"I can't find the thing to turn on the electric blanket," Quinn felt under her pillow. Then she moved toward Rachel. "Can you um see if it's over there?"

Rachel reached her hand down on the side of the bed and she slid it between the bed and the nightstand. Her hand hit something plastic and once she felt it, she knew it was the switch. She pulled her hand back under her the covers, "Nope. Not over here."

"Well damn," Quinn sighed.

Rachel immediately felt guilty for lying. Maybe Quinn really was freezing and she didn't want to invade Rachel's space. "Are you really that cold?"

"I guess not," Quinn shrugged.

Rachel had a feeling that Quinn was lying so she reached out and touched the blonde's arm. "Oh my god Quinn, you're freezing."

"I'm fine," Quinn closed her eyes as Rachel held onto her arms and stroked her skin with her thumb.

Rachel reached behind herself and turned on the electric blanket, "Oh there it is."

Quinn internally grumbled when Rachel's hand disappeared, but it was probably safer that way.

It didn't take long for Quinn to fall asleep and Rachel was soon behind her.

However, at about two in the morning, Quinn's eyes fluttered open. She thought she heard talking downstairs. She propped herself up on her elbows and listened with her head tilted. She heard it again and this time, it didn't sound like it was coming from downstairs. It was coming from right next to her and it wasn't exactly talking.

It sounded like Rachel was having a dream. A really good dream. Quinn tried to listen to what Rachel was mumbling. A smile spread across her face when she heard her own name moaned in the midst of all of Rachel's mumbling.

"Oh Quinn," was the clearest thing Quinn could make out. Then Rachel moaned deeply and squirmed.

Quinn's heart started hammering. Of all the times for Rachel to have a sex dream… She laid back down and tried to go back to sleep, but the moaning became more frequent. Quinn decided that dream Quinn must be almost as awesome as real life Quinn.

The blonde felt a familiar, torturous ache build between her legs as Rachel's dream went on. She knew that she had to stop this before she had to do something about it.

"Rach," Quinn hissed into the dark. She reached over and shook Rachel when that didn't work. "Rachel, wake up."

Rachel jerked awake and seemed out of breath for a moment.

"Are you okay?" Quinn asked, slightly amused at the flustered look on Rachel's face. Dream Quinn must be a damn rock star.

Rachel looked straight ahead of her for a moment before slowly turning toward Quinn. "Sorry. I um…had a very…vivid dream."

Quinn chuckled, "I heard."

"Oh," Rachel looked down slightly embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it," Quinn laid back down, "You can go back to sleep." She looked up at Rachel as the shorter girl laid before closing her eyes again.

Rachel was quiet for a moment before whispering, "Quinn?"

"Yeah?" Quinn asked, opening her eyes again. She could see Rachel's eyes glimmering in the dark.

"Is it okay if I…go take a shower?"

"Why would you need to do that?" Quinn asked, although she was sure she knew. "You'll have time to take one in the morning."

Rachel felt a hundred times more embarrassed and really, really didn't want to have to say it out loud. "Well my dream was…about…"

Quinn smiled and couldn't make Rachel say it, "Go ahead. I understand."

"You do?" Rachel asked quietly, panicked that she was vocalizing her dream.

"Yeah," Quinn bit her lips to keep herself from offering to take care of Rachel's problem. "I'm thinking that I'm going to have to get in after you. You're a lot louder in your dreams that you usually are."

Rachel buried her face under the covers, "Oh my god."

"You said that too," Quinn teased her.

"Quinn!" Rachel squealed and poked her head out, "This is so embarrassing."

"Don't be embarrassed," Quinn grinned, "Whoever it was in your dream is a badass."

Rachel pulled her pillow out from under her head and whacked Quinn in the head, "You can totally stop talking about my dream now."

"Okay," Quinn paused with a hundred watt smile on her face, "You should go get in the shower dirty girl."

Rachel was laughing by now, but she still felt the need to defend herself. So she jumped on top of Quinn and started tickling her.

"Rachel!" Quinn gasped, "Not fair!"

"You're the dream voyeur," Rachel slowed her tickling and accused Quinn.

Quinn laughed, "It's not voyeurism if you're moaning my name in your dreams."

At that Rachel froze her fingers. She was all too suddenly aware that she was straddling Quinn.

Quinn realized her error and quickly tried to cover it up, "You could have said Finn."

Instead of answering, Rachel's fingers gently ran over the material of Quinn's tank top. She looked thoughtful and finally met Quinn's eyes, "You know it wasn't."

Quinn's breathing got heavy under Rachel's fingers. She definitely wasn't cold anymore.

Rachel leaned down and kissed Quinn's exposed collarbone. "If you want me to stop, tell me now." She whispered into Quinn's ear as her fingers made their way under her shirt.

Quinn didn't say anything.


	16. Chapter 16

Knocking on the door woke Quinn and Rachel up the next morning. Rachel rubbed her eyes as Quinn got out of bed and tried to find her clothes. Rachel just grinned against her pillow watching Quinn sort their clothes out. She didn't really know what happened after she kissed Quinn first because everything was a euphoric blur. It was definitely way better than any dream she'd ever had. Somehow clothes ended up everywhere.

"Q?" the perpetually happy voice of Brittany called through the door.

"Hold on a sec B," Quinn pulled on the yoga pants Rachel was wearing the night before and a shirt before throwing what was left to Rachel who quickly got dressed.

Rachel glanced at the clock and saw that it was already ten fifteen in the morning. It definitely wasn't like her to sleep that late.

When they were both dressed, Quinn opened the door. Brittany was standing there smiling in jeans, a gray v-neck and her Cheerio jacket. She had two bananas in her hand and an apple. "Hey guys. I brought breakfast."

"Thanks B," Quinn smiled and hugged Brittany.

"I was going to bring donuts, but I remembered that Coach Sylvester said we'd have to run for days if she caught us eating them," Brittany put the fruit on the bed. "Did I wake you up?"

"Yeah, but I needed to get up," Rachel smiled at Brittany.

Quinn kicked Rachel's panties under the bed that she apparently forgot to pick up and then announced, "I'm going to get ready." She looked at Rachel, "You can wear some of my clothes if you want."

Rachel nodded and watched Quinn shut herself in the bathroom. She then turned to Brittany who was texting on her phone. When Brittany finished, she asked, "So Brittany how was your weekend?"

Brittany shrugged, looking a little saddened, "It's been okay. I was really bored last night."

"What do you usually do on Friday nights?" Rachel asked, pretty much knowing the answer.

"Hang out with Santana," Brittany replied. She looked around Quinn's room, "I haven't been here in forever."

Rachel nodded. As long as she's known the three Cheerios, Quinn and Santana have had some sort of animosity between them. She just didn't know why.

"What did you two do last night?" Brittany asked, getting off of the bed to look around.

Rachel shrugged nonchalantly, "We watched a movie and date dinner. That's pretty much it."

"Cool," Brittany nodded. She smiled when she looked at a bulletin board full of pictures in Quinn's room. There were at least six pictures of her, Quinn, and Santana. The rest of the pictures were of various family and friends of Quinn's.

"What happened between Santana and Quinn?" Rachel asked quietly.

Brittany turned back to Rachel and sat down on the bed, "I don't know. I wish I did."

As if on cue, Quinn stepped out of the bathroom, ready to go for the day. Rachel went to the closet and picked out some clothes before walking into the bathroom room to get ready.

"So B," Quinn smiled, happy to be hanging out with Brittany again, "How's life?"

"It's…okay," Brittany answered. Her phone dinged on the bed and she picked it up, reading her text. She smiled softly and replied before looking up at Quinn.

Quinn grinned, "Is that S?"

Brittany nodded.

"Does she know you're hanging out with us?"

Brittany nodded again. "She told me I should because I keep asking her when we're going to hang out with you again."

Quinn straightened out her pillows that got all moved around the night before, "You can come hang out whenever you want Brit."

"Thanks Q," Brittany traced the front of her phone.

"How is Santana?" Quinn finally asked.

"She's okay," Brittany's phone dinged again. She offhandedly added, "She says there's hot guys all over Chicago."

Quinn thinks she heard a twinge of sadness in Brittany's voice, but Rachel walked out of the bathroom, looking fresh and ready.

Quinn drove them all to the mall, where Brittany became excited again. She grabbed Quinn's hand and they swung it between them like they did when they were little girls. Quinn and Brittany laughed while Rachel watched, amused.

"What are we looking for?" Quinn asked her two companions.

"I need coffee," Rachel smiled, "Especially if I'm going to keep up with you two."

They stopped to get coffee for Rachel and Quinn and cocoa for Brittany before making their way to the closest department store. Rachel was happy just to follow the two blondes around, occasionally spotting something that she liked.

"Oh my god," Brittany called, "I found the cutest dress for Rachel."

"Me?" Rachel asked.

"Do you see any other Rachel's around here?" Quinn asked, and pushed Rachel toward where Brittany was. "C'mon Brittany is a fashion genius."

Somehow Rachel found herself shoved into a dressing room with a bunch of clothes she hadn't even looked at.

"Dress first," Brittany called over the stall.

Brittany and Quinn seated themselves on the bench by the mirrors, both sipping their drinks. Quinn rested her head on Brittany's shoulder and tried to stifle a yawn. Brittany picked up her phone when it dinged and opened the text. Quinn accidentally saw the text message that Brittany just received.

She smiled at the thought of Santana being gone for only twenty-four hours and sending Brittany a text that said 'I miss you.' It was ridiculously adorable and completely out of character for Santana.

Rachel stepped out of the stall, stealing both girls' attention.

Brittany smiled, "You look awesome."

"Thanks," Rachel twirled around in the black cocktail dress. It had fake white Hawaiian flowers sticking out of the side. Quinn's favorite part of course was how much of Rachel's leg was left exposed.

Rachel looked at herself in the mirror, "I like it. I just don't have anywhere to wear it."

"That's a dress you get and keep until you have somewhere to wear it," Quinn stated. "Especially if you look that good."

Rachel blushed at the compliment from the head Cheerio. She turned back to the mirror. "Mmm, I'll think about it."

Brittany ushered Rachel back into the dressing room and instructed her on what the wear with what, while Quinn sat outside on the bench guarding everyone's purses. She was tempted to go through Brittany's phone to see what Santana had been telling her, but since the text she saw earlier was innocent and fairly sweet, she decided against it. If Santana was plotting something, Quinn was just going to deal with it when came.

Quinn watched Brittany run out of the dressing room and back in with a scarf or a hat or a different shirt before Rachel would step out looking drop dead gorgeous. Quinn loved they way Rachel looked in scarves and had trouble not over complimenting her.

When Brittany was finished playing life sized dress up doll with Rachel, she took all the clothes that she liked on Rachel to the closest register.

"Brittany, what are you doing?" Rachel asked, grabbing her purse on the way out.

Quinn followed with Brittany's purse. When they got to the register, Quinn handed Brittany her purse.

"Santana gave me her credit card and told me to buy you something that didn't make you look like a toddler in a nursing home," Brittany dug said credit card out of her purse and handed it to the woman at the register.

Quinn saw that Rachel was about to protest so she put her hand on Rachel's arm. She leaned over and whispered in Rachel's ear, "Let her. Santana gets a ridiculous allowance every month. Her dad's a surgeon and her mom is a CFO of some huge company."

If anyone else had been whispering to her, Rachel would have asked them if they were sure. However since it was Quinn, all she could think about was the close proximity of Quinn's lips to her face.

Brittany grabbed the bags and they evenly distributed them among each themselves before walking back into the main part of the mall.

"So where to now?" Quinn asked.

"I need to stop by Victoria's Secret," Brittany stated, as they walked.

"Getting something special?" the other blonde asked, glancing at Rachel who look a little apprehensive.

Brittany nodded, "Yeah, Santana's coming home tomorr-…" Brittany realized that she said something she shouldn't have and stopped mid-sentence.

"Don't worry about it," Quinn playfully bumped her shoulder with Brittany's, "Whatever you and S do is cool with me and I'm sure it's cool with Rachel, right Rach?"

Rachel nodded, "Definitely."

When they got to Victoria's Secret, Brittany wandered off while Quinn and Rachel stayed close together.

Quinn walked up behind Rachel and whispered, "So what's your favorite color?"

"For what?" Rachel asked, trying to sound like her mind wasn't already in the gutter right next to Quinn's.

Quinn just giggled and made her way toward the back of the store.

Rachel looked around the various lingerie trying to remember if Quinn had ever mentioned her favorite color. Then she remembered her no sleeping with Quinn as long as she's with Sam rule. Then she remembered what happened just mere hours ago in Quinn's bedroom. Then she resumed looking for something in Quinn's favorite color.

"You two are like best friends now huh?" Brittany asked Quinn as they looked around together.

"I guess," Quinn shrugged. She nearly laughed when she saw some pink pajama pants with gold stars all over them. She picked some up and draped them over her arm along with her other purchases.

Brittany paused at some panties with ducks on them before replacing them and moving on. Her phone rang interrupted whatever else she was going to ask. She smiled when she saw who it was and answered, "Hey."

Quinn walked a few steps away, but stayed in earshot.

"Yeah, I know…me too…." Brittany's voice was soft and she had a content smile on her face, confirming who Quinn thought was calling Santana. "Oh cool…awesome…yeah we're still at the mall…" Brittany giggled, "Yeah I'll call you when I get home…Bye San." Brittany hung up and continued perusing the racks.

"Who was that?" Quinn asked casually.

"Santana," Brittany answered, "She just got back to their hotel from seeing her cousins."

"Cool," Quinn nodded. She was beginning to think that this really wasn't a trap.

Rachel walked up to them with a mischievous smile on her face and a pink and red striped back in her hand.

"You already got something?" Brittany asked and walked over to her, "What is it?"

A playful sparkle shimmered in Rachel's eye when she looked at Quinn over Brittany's shoulder. Quinn swallowed hard. If Rachel kept looking at her like that she was going to have to find a dressing room somewhere big enough for both of them.

After Quinn checked out and Brittany got some new lingerie courtesy of Santana, they made their way to store after store making each other try on clothes and giggling about how they all looked wearing the most ridiculous things they could find.

Brittany and Quinn seemed to be getting camera happy with their phones. Like they knew that a day like this wasn't going to happen again anytime soon and wanted to have pictures to remember it by. However their poses we beginning to make Rachel a little jealous. Quinn would randomly throw her arms around Brittany and they'd laugh as Rachel would take their picture.

At the slightly sad look on Rachel's face, Brittany would hug the shorter girl and there was no way that Rachel could stop a smile even if she wanted to.

They finally made their way back to Quinn's house and lugged all of their purchases up the stairs.

"It was really nice of Santana to buy me new clothes," Rachel said as she took out her new clothes and laid them out on the bed.

"Don't say that to her face," Quinn quipped.

Brittany giggled, "She just doesn't want you to tell anyone she did."

"No problem," Rachel answered. She got to her Victoria's Secret bag and kept it closed. This didn't go unnoticed by Quinn, who was slightly disappointed. Due to the current state of their relationship, she wasn't sure if she'd ever get see what was in that bag. And if she was honest, she really wanted to see Rachel in whatever was in that bag.

The room went quiet as the Quinn laid back on the bed, Rachel went through her new clothes and Brittany texted Santana and looked between the other two.

Rachel got up and excused herself to go to the bathroom. Quinn couldn't stop herself from watching her walk away.

Brittany noticed this and looked down at her phone in her lap with a heartbroken look on her face, "Oh."

Quinn panicked, "Oh? What oh?" Then she calmed herself down, "Did Santana do something mean?"

"No," Brittany shook her head. She tentatively looked up at Quinn.

"What is it B?" Quinn asked gently.

The dancer ran her finger along the seem of her jeans, pausing to think about what she was going to say. Then she quietly added, "You guys are like me and Santana."

"What do you mean?" Quinn tilted her head to the side, reaching over and taking Brittany's hand.

Brittany bit her lip, "Promise not to tell anyone. Especially Santana?"

"Promise," Quinn stated.

"I like…love Santana," Brittany confessed, "But I don't think she loves me…like I do. And sometimes I get really sad because she doesn't." Brittany looked up at Quinn with a look in her eyes that was asking if she understood.

Quinn nodded slowly and thought over what Brittany just said. "You're saying that one of us is you and one of us in Santana?"

Brittany nodded as her phone dinged in her lap. She opened the text read while Quinn thought.

Finally Quinn asked, "Which one of us is sad?" It sounded like a dumb question, but she had to know for sure. It was rare that Brittany was wrong when reading people like this.

Brittany looked up from her text, obviously distracted from the conversation at hand, "Rachel is."

"You rang?" the singer walked back into the room with a smile on her face.

The tall blonde stood up and hugged Quinn then Rachel, "I gotta go. Santana said she has the hotel room to herself and she wants me to call her."

"Bye Brittany," Rachel smiled after her and watched Brittany walked out. She sat down on the bed who looked distracted. "That was fun. I've never hung out at the mall for five hours straight before."

Quinn frowned and looked at Rachel, "Are you sad?"

"What?" Rachel asked, bewildered.

"Brittany said you were sad and she's never wrong about things like this," Quinn stated. "She told me that we're just like her and Santana and that she loves Santana, but doesn't think Santana loves her back and that makes her sad. Then she told me that you're sad."

Rachel's eyes dropped to the comforter under them and she took a deep breath. "What do you want me to say?"

"Tell me the truth," Quinn pleaded. She was starting to get choked up and her voice was barely above a whisper.

Rachel wouldn't look at Quinn. She just stood up and walked over to the window, trying to put some kind of distance between herself and Quinn so she could think properly.

"I thought it would have been obvious by now," Rachel sighed and sat on the windowsill. Her head was still tilted slightly down, but she finally looked at Quinn.

Quinn was silent as she mulled over in her head what Brittany told her. She looked up at Rachel. "What do you want?" She asked earnestly and quietly.

Rachel crossed her arms and looked at the ceiling, "I want…" She paused, "I want to be around you all the time. I want to touch you way too much and I want you to be happy all the time. I just…I mean last night I told you we shouldn't sleep together and…a few hours later we were…I can't stop myself. You…you're intoxicating Quinn."

After a few agonizing seconds, Quinn asked quietly, "Can you come sit down?"

Rachel wasn't expecting that, but complied, keeping her hands and arms to herself.

Quinn reached over and took Rachel's hand, "I thought that there was no way in hell you could feel like that. Especially after everything that's happened between us."

"I think you feel something for me too," Rachel added, turning fully toward Quinn. "I think you're scared though. You're scared that now that you've reached the top of your social pyramid that it can all come tumbling down because of me. And that's probably right." She paused to look at Quinn. "Last night I said that our relationship should stay at friends as long as you're with Sam and I'm going to stand by that now. So I'm going to go home and we'll talk about this later."

"When's later?" Quinn asked, her voice cracking.

"Whenever you decide what you want. I don't mind being your late night secret, but I won't help you hurt Sam like that." Rachel almost convinced herself that that was true. She knew that if Quinn asked her to, they'd go back to the exact same relationship they had before where Quinn was with Sam during the day and Rachel at night.

_ Rachel placed a chaste, lingering kiss on Quinn's lips before gathering her things and walking out the door._


	17. Chapter 17

Quinn had texted Brittany shortly after Rachel left and asked her if she wanted to spend the night. Brittany seemed excited about it and happily agreed. Quinn didn't want to be alone and Brittany seemed like she was unwittingly helping her gain clarity, plus she'd get to hang out with her friend before Santana got back into town.

The head Cheerio got in her car and drove to Brittany's house to pick her up. She couldn't help, but look at Rachel's house when she pulled up to Brittany's house. She wondered if Rachel was inside and what she was doing if she was. It suddenly struck her that Rachel didn't have her car when she left her house.

Quinn was about to call Rachel and ask if she needed a ride when she saw Rachel's dad walk out the front door and retrieve Rachel's bags from his car. Quinn was relieved that Rachel's dad picked her up.

Quinn smiled when Brittany bounded outside and to her car. She didn't really want to be at her house for the moment she drove a little down the street to the park that they used to play at when they were kids.

It was pretty cold outside so there were few children. Brittany led the way to the swings. They managed to get two swings next to each other, although Quinn had to give a mean looking little boy a dollar to move.

"Where's Rachel?" Brittany asked.

Quinn watched her feet graze the ground, "She's at her house I guess. I told her what you said about her being sad and you were right."

Brittany just nodded. She knew she was right, but she wasn't going to say it. After all it wasn't something she wanted to be right about anyway. "What did you tell her?"

"I didn't really say anything," Quinn sighed. She looked over at Brittany, "Can I tell you a secret? Like a really important secret? You can't even tell Santana."

"Pinkie promise," Brittany offered her pinkie to Quinn who took it, sealing the promise like they did when they first came to the park.

"Rachel and I have been…" Quinn paused, hoping that she wasn't making a mistake in telling her friend, "sleeping together for a long time."

Brittany kicked off and started to swing low to the ground, "I thought so."

"You did?" Quinn asked. She thought she'd been being really discreet.

"Well you did go over to her house really late," Brittany explained, "I just didn't know why you were crying when you left…"

"You watched me?" Quinn asked, a little weirded out.

Brittany shook her head, "Sometimes when I get sad…because of…Santana, I can't sleep so I look out the window and wish that she'd come over. I didn't mean to see you."

That struck Quinn as being the most depressing thing Brittany has ever said. Quinn reached over and took Brittany's hand as they swayed together.

"And I never told Santana," Brittany went on, "She just saw you one time when she was spending the night."

"It's okay B," Quinn assured her. "Does Santana really make you that sad?"

Brittany nodded, "But she makes me really happy too."

"Why don't you tell her how you feel?" Quinn asked, trying to get a feel for what Rachel was feeling.

"I'm scared," Brittany confessed kicking off again and pulling Quinn with her. "If she doesn't feel the same then she might not want to be my friend anymore. Plus, I just want her to be happy."

Quinn remembered that Rachel had said something very similar earlier. It was like talking indirectly to Rachel.

"How does it make you feel when she see her with Sa- Puck?" Quinn asked while staring at the sky that was growing dark with angry looking clouds.

"I feel like crying," Brittany answered honestly.

Quinn looked at the other blonde and realized she'd never seen Brittany this sad. "I'm so sorry Brit. You know someday Santana's going to get it through her stubborn head that you're the best thing that's ever happened to her."

Brittany smiled wistfully, "She told me that once. She's really sweet…sometimes."

Quinn drug her feet to a stop and let go of Brittany's hand, "Will you come with me somewhere? I really need to do something." She stood out of the swing.

"Yeah," Brittany smiled a little and stood up.

"Then we can get some ice cream or something," Quinn smiled, trying to get Brittany to smile fully.

Brittany smiled wider, "Cool."

Quinn hugged Brittany and squeezed her, "You're a great friend Brittany."

"You are too Quinn," Brittany answered, now totally giddy.

While Brittany was waiting in the Quinn's car in front of Sam's house, her phone dinged. She looked at it and saw a text from a number she didn't recognize. She opened it anyway and carefully read it.

_Hey Brittany, it's Rachel. I was wondering if you wanted to come over and watch a movie or something. It's okay if you don't want to, I just thought I'd ask._

Brittany smiled and replied.

_I'll have to ask Q what we're going to do tonight, but I'm sure you can come with us. She said she's going to be right back._

Brittany didn't have to wait long for a reply.

_Where are you?_

_In Quinn's car._

_Where's Quinn?_

_She's in Sam's house. She said it was important_

It took a while for Rachel to reply. Brittany looked through the songs on Quinn's iPod while she waited.

_Oh. Well I don't think I feel very well. I'm just going to lie down for a while._

Brittany frowned.

_I hope you feel better. I'll call you when Quinn gets back in the car._

_There's no need. I'll probably just go to sleep._

The blonde felt like she may have said the wrong thing, but momentarily forgot about Rachel when her phone rang and Santana's name showed up on her phone.

When Quinn left Sam's house, she got into her car and found Brittany on a phone with a hundred watt smile on her face. She put her seatbelt on and put the car in drive, while listening to Brittany talk to who was assumed to be Santana.

"Okay….I'll see you then…alright. Bye," Brittany hung up.

"What's up B?" Quinn asked Brittany, who was grinning from ear to ear.

"Santana's going to fly home early," Brittany explained, "She'll be here at two fifteen in the morning." The turned to look at Quinn, "I can still spend the night if you want to, I just have to leave early."

"You don't have to," Quinn smiled at her friend. She knew Brittany really wanted to see Santana although she spends most of her life with the fiery Cheerio. "I'll drop you off at your house."

"Thanks," Brittany leaned over and carefully hugged Quinn. "I'll probably go over to Rachel's and see if she feels any better."

"She's sick?" Quinn asked.

Brittany nodded, "Yeah. She said she didn't feel good while you were in Sam's house."

"Did you tell her I was at Sam's?"

Brittany nodded like a little kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Quinn bit her lip and continued driving.

Quinn parked her car in front of Brittany's house and watched the blonde walk up the walkway. She then turned her attention to Rachel's house next door. Quinn took a long, deep breath and pulled her car a few feet forward and parked in front of Rachel's house.

She had to explain to Rachel what she was doing at Sam's house. It seemed narcissistic to think that she was the reason Rachel didn't feel well, but it was entirely plausible.

Quinn grabbed a bag out of the backseat of her car and walked up to the front door of Rachel's house just like Rachel had requested earlier. Quinn was disappointed that no one answered and finally noticed that one of Rachel's dads' cars was gone. Rachel's car however was still parked in the driveway so she still had hope.

Rachel was laying in bed when she heard the window open. Her back was to the window so she didn't see who it was, but she knew.

Quinn knew Rachel was awake and she knew Rachel knew it was her so she was disappointed when Rachel didn't even acknowledge her.

"Brittany told me you felt bad," Quinn closed the window behind her. A light rain started to fall as Quinn stood up straight. She shifted the bag in her hand and nervously looked at her fingernails. "And I bought you something earlier that I forgot to give you."

Rachel finally sat up, looking at Quinn with tired eyes. However she found it endearing how nervous Quinn looked standing in front of the window. She ran a hand through her hair and answered, "I think I'm just tired." She watched a guilty look wash over Quinn's face and noticed how Quinn wouldn't meet her eyes. She added, "What did you get me?"

That unfroze Quinn who walked over to the bed and set the bag down, not coming anywhere near Rachel. "If you don't like them it's not a big deal."

Rachel reached across the bed and opened the bag. She pulled out the pink pajama pants with the gold stars and smiled, "They're adorable Quinn."

The blonde nodded uncomfortably, but let out a tentative smile, "Well, I hope you feel better." Quinn turned to the window and opened it, easily sliding out onto the ground.

Rachel was bewildered that Quinn would just leave after two minutes in her room. She watched Quinn pause before she shut the window behind her.

"I, um," Quinn finally met Rachel's eyes, "I broke up with Sam."

Rachel was frozen in place. She never expected that, especially not so soon, but before she could answer Quinn shut the window and disappeared.

The brunette threw the covers off of her and ran to the window, but by the time she got there all the could see was Quinn's taillights driving away.


	18. Chapter 18

Quinn Fabray had never been a chicken shit in her whole life. Until now. She broke up with the quarterback of the football team for the head gleek.

Of course she knew it was the right thing to do. Sam was nice and all, but Rachel…Rachel was amazingly addictive. Quinn thoughts that junkies were weak until she realized she was one herself, always needing another touch or smile from the other girl.

She was sitting on the couch in her living room when the doorbell rang. She didn't bother moving because she was trying to lose herself in the show she was watching. Her mom was closer to the door anyway.

"Quinn, honey, you have a visitor," her mom announced a few seconds later.

Quinn's eyes lingered on the TV as she turned her head before she looked over and saw Rachel standing next to her mom in the doorway of the living room.

Rachel shot Quinn a coy smile before turning to Quinn's mom and thanking her for showing her in. Quinn watched Rachel walk over and sit next to her as her palms began to sweat.

"Oh Quinn," Rachel raised an eyebrow, "Jersey Shore?"

Quinn glanced at the TV then back at Rachel, "It just came on. I wasn't watching it." Then she realized she was defending herself to Rachel. "What are you doing here?"

Rachel smirked, "I believe I left something in your bedroom that I need to retrieve." Rachel stood from the couch and walked toward the stairs, already on her way to Quinn's room

Quinn thought for a moment before realizing what Rachel was talking about. She turned off the TV and trotted after Rachel.

When Quinn got to her room, Rachel was sitting on the bed, having found her lost panties. The blonde looked Rachel over and realized that she was wearing clothes that definitely weren't her style. The long tan coat Rachel was wearing didn't really seem like something that went with her cartoon animal sweaters or even the clothes that Brittany picked out today. But when Quinn looked out the window, she saw it was pouring rain so the long coat Rachel was wearing was practical.

The blonde closed the door behind her, figuring now was as good of a time as ever to have the talk that she knew was coming. "Are you going to stay for a while?"

Rachel shrugged, "Do you want me to?"

"Yeah I do," Quinn decided that they'd been honest with each other thus far, she might as well tell Rachel how she felt.

"Okay," Rachel nodded and leaned back on the bed.

The blonde walked over to the bed and sat down, "If you're going to stay you might as well take off your coat. This talk may take a while."

"If you want to talk, I should probably leave it on," Rachel giggled.

Quinn looked questioningly at Rachel before her eyes grew wide, "Are you naked under there?"

"Of course not," Rachel feigned being offended before adding, "I'm wearing lingerie under it."

The blonde's jaw dropped and a shiver ran through her body.

"You wanted to talk?" Rachel asked with a playful glimmer in her eyes.

"So you," Quinn paused, standing up off of the bed, pacing in front of the bed, "Came over here in lingerie with the intention of…?"

"Oh, talking of course," Rachel was in a ridiculously good mood so she felt really playful.

Quinn caught on and finally smiled, "Dirty girl."

"I'm in a good mood," Rachel laid back on the bed and stretched her arms over her head, purposefully letting the coat ride up a little.

"Oh yeah?" Quinn asked, moving back toward the bed, "Why's that?"

"I heard someone ridiculously hot is back on the market," Rachel answered, slowly pulling at the buttons on her coat.

Quinn put her knee on the bed between Rachel's legs, "Don't you mean ridiculously good in bed?"

"Mmm," Rachel tapped her chin, pretending to think, "Maybe."

"Oh, you're going down," Quinn chuckled and placed her hands on either side of Rachel, lowing herself down so that they were almost touching.

The shorter girl giggled, "Only if you want me to."

Quinn dipped her head down and paused before she could get to Rachel's lips. "Me first." The blonde closed the gap between them and kissed Rachel lightly, pulling at the belt of the coat.

"Mmm, Quinn," Rachel mumbled against Quinn's lips.

"Hmmm?" Quinn asked pulling away to look at the other girl.

Rachel ran her fingers through Quinn's hair, "Are you sure you don't want to talk first?"

The Cheerio searched Rachel's eyes finding that Rachel really did want to talk. She pulled away slightly, but stayed on top of Rachel, "I just wanted to know what you wanted. Exactly. Perfect world scenario."

"I want you," Rachel held Quinn's face in her hands loving stroking her cheeks with her thumbs. "All to myself." She smiled again, "I'm an only child. I'm not good at sharing."

"Deal," Quinn smiled back, "Do I get you all to myself?"

"You have been getting me all to yourself for a while," Rachel kissed Quinn again.

The blonde took a deep breath and crawled all the way off of Rachel, much to the smaller girl's disappointment. However, Rachel understood that they probably should talk before they moved on to much more fun activities.

"Are you talking about just sex or like an actual relationship?" Quinn rested her hands on Rachel's knees, studying her face for any sort of reaction.

"Whatever you want," Rachel shrugged, "I like you Quinn. A lot. But I don't expect you to like me back in the same way. We can do the Brittany/Santana thing or we can hold hands and go on dates. It's up to you."

"Perfect world. What do you want?" Quinn added, tucking some of Rachel's hair behind her ear.

Rachel played with the belt on her coat as she answered, "I want you in any capacity I can have you. It's not a perfect world."

Quinn moved forward and wrapped her arms around Rachel, but still staying far enough away to look at Rachel's face. "We can't do the Brittany/Santana thing. I don't want you to be sad like Brittany. I don't even want Brittany to be sad like Brittany." Quinn paused, "But I don't know how to do this girl-girl thing. It's all new to me. I've never had feelings this strong, especially for a girl." Quinn offered Rachel a reassuring smile because when the word 'but' came out of her mouth Rachel's face fell. "Especially not such a beautiful, extremely talented girl."

Rachel finally smiled and rested her forehead on Quinn's shoulder, "Are you sucking up because you're about to tell me that we can't be together at school?"

Her stomach fell when Rachel said it, but she replied, "I think so."

"It's probably better that way," Rachel pulled her head back, but wouldn't look directly at Quinn.

"Are you okay?" Quinn had a sinking feeling in her stomach, like she just hurt Rachel, while trying to keep from doing just that.

Rachel forced and smiled and wrapped her arms around Quinn's neck, "I at least get to walk around with the knowledge that the head Cheerio is mine while every male student wants her."

Quinn smiled at Rachel's effort to make her feel better about having to hide. "I am yours you know. You've had me wrapped around your insanely amazing legs since the first time we kissed."

Rachel laughed, pulling away from Quinn to look at her face, "My legs?"

"Sorry. I was staring at them and they were all I could think about," Quinn let out a cheeky grin.

The diva blushed a little and shook her head, "You need a shovel to get your mind out of the gutter Fabray."

"I'm not the one that showed up over here wearing nothing but lingerie and a trench coat," Quinn wiggled her eyebrows.

Rachel laughed and kissed Quinn's smile. "You love it."

"Mhmm," Quinn kissed back, guiding Rachel onto her back so she could find out what was under the coat.

A few hours later, Rachel easily fell asleep in Quinn's arms. Quinn however was having a much harder time going to sleep. Something wasn't sitting well with her. Well it was more than one thing. She looked over at the sleeping girl in her arms and softly stroked her hair. She dropped a sweet kiss on Rachel's forehead before snuggling into her and closing her eyes, hoping for some good sleep.


	19. Chapter 19

"Quinn," a heavenly voice sang in her ear. "Quinn, it's time to wake up. We're going to be late."

The blonde buried her face in her pillow, "Late for what?" She felt Rachel's fingers start to lightly make their way up her back.

"Breakfast," Rachel explained, settling on the bed next to Quinn, rubbing her back with one hand and stroking her hair with the other, "We're meeting Brittany and Santana."

"Whose big idea was that?" Quinn moaned, moving her head onto Rachel's legs, still refusing to open her eyes.

Rachel smiled down at Quinn and kissed her temple, "It was Brittany's. Somehow she got Santana to agree to it, but they haven't been to bed yet so we need to get going."

"How long have you been awake?" Quinn rolled onto her back and finally opened her eyes.

"Since your mom knocked on the door and asked if I wanted to go to church," Rachel ran her fingers through Quinn's hair.

"Oh my god," Quinn shifted the blanket that was covering her, "She didn't know I was naked did she?"

Rachel smiled, "No, but I did think she had a minor heart attack when I told her I was Jewish." She paused, "Oh that reminds me. I promised Noah I'd go to Shabbat with him on Friday night."

"Boo," Quinn finally sat up and let the blanket fall.

Rachel kissed Quinn on the lips and stood up, moving to the closet, "If you don't hurry, I get to pick out what you wear."

Quinn got dressed in record time and threw her hair up all the while Rachel was practically dragging her out the door.

They walked into the small dinner and found Brittany and Santana sitting in a booth in the back. They were sitting really close together like they usually did and Santana had her head on Brittany's shoulder.

"Hey," Rachel smiled at the two, although Brittany was the only one to return with a genuine smile.

"Hey," Brittany beamed at Rachel and Quinn.

Quinn smiled at Brittany and then tried with Santana, "Hey San."

"Hey Q," Santana hitched her chin. It was her first friendly gesture toward Quinn in over a year.

"How was Chicago?" Rachel asked trying to start up a conversation.

Santana shrugged and wrapped her hands around Brittany's arm, "It was fun. My cousins took me to a bunch of museums and stuff."

"Cool," Quinn offered from across the table.

The waitress came by and they all ordered. When she left a silence fell over the table. Brittany perked up, "What did you guys do last night?"

"Just hung out," Quinn shrugged.

"Bullshit," Santana rolled her eyes.

The blonde was about to snap back when she felt Rachel's hand touch her thigh under the table. Quinn took a deep breath and replied, "Jersey Shore and girl talk."

"Whatever," Santana sighed, placing her head back on Brittany's shoulder.

Rachel looked at Brittany who closed her eyes with a content smile. She could also see the pain in Brittany's face. She wouldn't be Rachel Berry if she didn't want to step in and try to help.

"What are you two going to do today?" Rachel asked, as their drinks arrived.

Santana didn't seem too interested in letting go of Brittany, so she used one hand to pick up her drink and barely lifted her head to sip it, "What do you want to do B?"

Brittany paused, "I want to go to bed after this."

"Good idea," Santana nodded. She sat up a little bit, "But then I have to go to the mall. My cousin had a gorgeous blue sweater and I have got to find one in red and then we can find you something to wear to that party Friday."

"Shit," Quinn sighed, "I forgot about that. Whose party is it, Puck or Kevin?"

"Kevin," Santana answered, "Puck said he's going to go late because he's going to go work out first."

Rachel chuckled.

"What's funny?" Santana asked, not even bothering to use one of the creative nicknames she'd come up with for the shorter girl.

Rachel shrugged, "I just thought that was funny because Noah and I are going to Shabbat on Friday evening, so he's probably not going to work out."

"I knew he always smelled funny Friday nights," Santana looked up at Brittany, "Don't you think so?"

Brittany nodded, "He smiled like my cousin's bar mitzvah."

"You're Jewish?" Rachel asked Brittany.

The blonde just shrugged, "I don't know."

"Well the Jewish Community Center does have a very distinct smell," Rachel offered, sipping her water.

Santana squeeze Brittany's arm before sitting up and sliding out of the booth, "We'll be back." She walked off toward the bathroom with Brittany following.

Rachel leaned over to Quinn and whispered, "We have to do something."

The head Cheerio whispered back, "Like what?"

"Get Santana to confess to Brittany that she's really in love with her and can't stand being away from her for more than twenty-four hours," Rachel added, "It's completely obvious."

"I know that and you know that," Quinn explained, "Santana would have to be drunk to admit that out loud."

"Let's get her drunk."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes," Rachel stated with finality, "I can't stand that look on Brittany's face."

Quinn let out a small smile, loving Rachel's conviction to make Brittany happy. "You're something else."

The shorter girl smiled at Quinn, "You're easily distracted."

Quinn just quirked an eyebrow suggestively as Brittany and Santana made their way back. She took a sip of her drink and smiled, "That didn't take long."

Brittany giggled, but Santana didn't look too pleased. Brittany spoke before Santana could quip back, "Are you going to the party Rachel?"

"Yeah," Quinn answered for her, "We're going to get her something to wear after this."

"Oh," Brittany grinned, "I wanna go."

Santana groaned, because she knew if Brittany was going she was going to go to.

Rachel looked questioningly at Quinn. The blonde just nodded, urging her to go with it. "Don't worry. You still get to go to the synagogue with Puck."

"That's not what I was worried about," Rachel stated.

"C'mon Berry," Santana yawned, "I've always wanted to see what you're like drunk."

It then clicked to Rachel what Quinn's plan was. At they party they were going to get Santana drunk and try to get her to tell Brittany how she really felt. Rachel looked over at Quinn who was donning the smug 'I know what I'm doing' look.

The rest of the meal was spent recounting past party experiences. All the while Rachel was soaking up the information never having been to a real party with kids her age.

Santana paid for everyone's breakfast and told Rachel and Quinn that she and Brittany were going to go to her house to shower and change before they met at the mall.

"Why wasn't Santana jealous when I told her that I was going with Puck on Friday?" Rachel asked Quinn as they were on the way back to Quinn's house so that Quinn could shower and change as well. She couldn't be seen at the mall wearing jeans and a t-shirt with her hair up in a messy ponytail like it currently was.

"For the same reason she was nice to us," Quinn answered, "No one was around to see her. Santana is all about image."

Rachel looked like she was about to add something, but she just rested her head back against the headrest. It took a lot of self-restraint for her to not speak her mind, but she really didn't want to upset Quinn.

However, the blonde seemed to be able to read Rachel's mind, "I am so not like Santana."

"Okay," Rachel conceded, half-heartedly.

"You really think so, don't you."

"I think you're both very ambitious," Rachel offered, skirting around what Quinn was getting at. She glanced over at Quinn who was wearing a frown and staring hard at the road. Rachel quickly changed the subject, "I'm nervous about this party."

Quinn softened and let out an assuring smile, "You'll be fine. Just stay close to me and don't drink anything a hockey player hands you."

Rachel was a little encouraged by Quinn's smile, "Well how are you going to explain it when I get drunk and beat up Karofsky for hitting on you?"

Laughter filled the car as the two girls imagined what that would look like. Quinn pulled to a stop in her driveway and led the way back to her room.

Rachel fell back on the bed and hugged one of the pillows to her chest. "How are we going to get Santana to confess?"

"Once she's drunk we just have to ask the right questions," Quinn answered, taking off her shirt. She unbuttoned her jeans and added, "That's how I found out that she and Brittany were sleeping together."

"You should probably keep me close to you," Rachel added, "I took a sip of champagne at my dad's birthday and I told them everything I ever did wrong from ages five to fourteen."

Quinn kicked off her jeans and crawled on the bed next to Rachel, "Don't worry. I'm not letting you anywhere close to Finn or Puck at all."

"Why not?" Rachel asked, watching Quinn lay next to her without touching her.

"Because they're horn dogs," Quinn kissed Rachel's nose, "And you're hot." Quinn pushed off of the bed, "I think you need to take a shower too."

"Do we have time for both of us to take a shower?" Rachel asked, watching Quinn's half naked form make her way to the bathroom.

The blonde unhooked her bra and let it fall to the floor, "We do if we take one together."


	20. Chapter 20

Rachel walked through the racks of clothes humming to herself. Quinn recognized the song and started humming along.

"Like a virgin," Quinn sang quietly to herself. She pushed a shirt out of the way to look at the one behind it, "Touched for the very first time…"

Rachel saw Quinn freeze in her place, her hand on a plastic hanger. "What's wrong?"

Quinn eyed Santana who was only a few meters away. Then she grabbed a dress and drug Rachel into an empty dressing room.

"What's going on?" Rachel asked as Quinn locked the door and hung up the dress.

"You were a virgin," Quinn whispered accusingly at Rachel.

Rachel looked at Quinn like she was a little crazy, "I believe everyone starts out that way."

"No, I mean when we first did…it," Quinn gestured with her hands, "You were a virgin."

The shorter girl nodded in the affirmative, "Yes."

"Oh my god!" Quinn's eyes widened, "Why didn't you tell me?"

A smile found it's way onto Rachel's face, "Well, we were a little busy."

"It's not funny Rachel," the blonde frowned, her voice edged with a slight panic, "You're first time is supposed to be special."

"It was," Rachel smiled softly, realizing what this was all about. She looped her arms around Quinn's neck.

"How?" Quinn looked defeated, but wrapped her arms around Rachel's waist anyway.

Rachel made sure to catch Quinn's eyes when she said, "Because you made me feel things I'd never felt before. I saw stars and fireworks and it led to something amazing." Rachel rocked onto the balls of her feet and lightly kissed Quinn. She pulled back and kept speaking, "It wasn't in a sleezy hotel room with a guy who just wanted in my pants. It was with someone who, although in denial, loved me. First times don't get much better than that." She pulled their bodies together in an embrace that ended the conversation.

Rachel felt her body go warm all over with Quinn's close presence. Quinn had never actually said that she loved her, but when Rachel brought it up she didn't deny it, which at the moment was good enough for Rachel.

"So," Quinn finally pulled away, "Do you want to try on this dress?"

Rachel shrugged, "Why not?" She dropped her purse on the bench in the dressing room and easily shed her shirt. She caught Quinn licking her lips and eyeing her half naked torso. She was definitely going to milk this.

As she was taking off her jeans, Rachel bent over a little more than necessary. Quinn felt her body get hot and all the heat rush to one, very particularly sensitive part of her body at the sight in front of her. Quinn closed her eyes and murmured, "Mailman, mailman, mailman."

Rachel giggled. She knew that trick. So she took the more direct approach. She took Quinn's hand and placed it on her stomach, slowly sliding it around to her back and down until Quinn's hand was cupping her ass.

"Rach!" Quinn hissed, but made no move to retract her hand. She was having one hell of a time keeping her eyes from looking down at Rachel's new bra. She sighed, who was she kidding? She was pretty much staring at Rachel's boobs. "We can't do this here."

"Why not?" Rachel let go of Quinn's hand and pulled the blonde down into a baiting kiss.

"Brittany and Santana are waiting on us," Quinn tired to figure out how the 'mailman, mailman, mailman' mantra in her head turned into 'nail her, nail her, nail her.'

Rachel watched Quinn's eyes dart from her chest to her face and get lost behind her eyelids. She took Quinn's other hand and placed it on the outside of her bra, "We waited for them. Plus, judging from how you look right now, it won't take long."

The blonde let her hand sneak around to the back of Rachel's bra and swiftly unhooked it. Both of her hands made their way to Rachel's breasts and she ran her thumbs over Rachel's nipples until they were hard and Rachel's chest was pulsing with labored breaths.

Quinn didn't even notice Rachel unbutton and unzip her jeans until she felt Rachel yank down her jeans. They pooled around Quinn's feet and Rachel slid her hand over the material of Quinn's panties, and down between the blonde's legs. She was surprised by how wet Quinn's panties already were. With the tiniest bit a pressure, Rachel made Quinn gasp.

Rachel grinned at her newfound ability and lightly ran a finger from its current position towards Quinn's front and Quinn clenched her jaw trying to contain all the noises that she usually made.

"Who knew that Quinn Fabray was such a horny little girl?" Rachel whispered in Quinn's ear.

The blonde panted, "You're worse."

"Or better depending on how you look at it," Rachel found Quinn's clit through her panties and pressed down hard.

"Better!" Quinn squeezed her eyes shut, trying desperately to keep her voice down, "Much better."

Rachel bent down and kissed the curve of Quinn's neck. Just when her lips touched Quinn's skin, there was a loud bang on the door.

"Quinn Fabray, captain of the Cheerios!" Santana yelled through the door, "Stop having sex with Rachel Berry! Who is another girl! And tell me how you think this hat looks on me."

Quinn turned her head to yell back and managed to get out, "We're not having sex!" Before Rachel pushed aside her panties and plunged two fingers into her. With a few good thrusts, Rachel felt Quinn's nails rake down her back as she came.

Rachel quickly pulled out of Quinn and pulled up the blonde's pants, buttoning and zipping them. Then she shimmied into the dress Quinn picked out and opened the door. Santana was standing at the door with an off white knit beanie on her head. Brittany had a 60s inspired headband on and was laying on the bench outside of the dressing room, texting.

"How do I look?" Rachel asked posing for them.

"Spin," Santana studied her and watched at the tiny diva spun around. Santana nodded, "You look decent. I guess you can ride with us to the party."

"Thanks," Rachel grinned and walked back into the dressing room where Quinn had just regained her motor functions. She stepped out of the stall, not even having seen the dress that Rachel wore as Rachel closed the door behind her.

"C'mon Q," Santana jerked her head toward the racks of clothes, "I found some of those baby doll head bands you love." They left Brittany lying on the bench by Rachel's dressing room and walked into the accessories department.

"Alright what's up with you and Berry?" Santana asked as they searched through a menagerie of jewelry, hats, and scarves.

"We're just friends," Quinn tried to be nonchalant as she looked through the headband, "What's up with you? First you hate my guts and now you want to be BFFs?"

"I don't hate your guts," Santana rolled her eyes, "It's just what we do."

"It didn't used to be," Quinn peered over the rack at Santana.

The brunette shrugged, "Look I know there's something going on with you and Rachel and I know Brittany knows something and she won't tell me which means it's something you don't want me to know. If you were just friends you wouldn't care if I knew, therefore you two are secretly dating or sleeping together. I don't know what you're doing and I really don't care enough to get the mental image of you going down on Man-Hands. I'm just saying, for the sake of your rep, be careful."

Quinn looked questioningly at Santana. She couldn't help, but think this was some sort of trick. "Why are you telling me that?"

"Because last year…sucked for you right?" Santana asked, but didn't wait for an answer, "And as much as I hate saying this and I'll deny it if you ever tell anyone, it hurt me to see you that sad. You'll keep this thing with Rachel under wraps if you don't want that to happen again." Santana's eyes were so intense that Quinn had to look away.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Quinn swallowed hard and picked up a headband, slipping it on her head. "How do I look?"

"So cute a wanna barf," Santana rolled her eyes. "I'm gonna go get Brit and RuPaul so we can hit up Starbucks. I'm dying."

Quinn watched the other Cheerio walk off while mulling around what Santana had said.

"Hey," Rachel said as she walked up to Quinn. She noticed the pensive look on her face and tilted her head, "Are you okay?"

The blonde nodded, "Yeah." She glanced at Rachel before taking the headband off and replacing it, "I just need some coffee or something."

"Perfect," Rachel grinned and happily started walking toward Brittany and Santana, "That's just where we're heading."

Quinn numbly nodded before following Rachel and the other Cheerios out of the store.


	21. Chapter 21

"Quinn," Rachel looked over at the Cheerio that was laying on her bed, "What's wrong? You've been spacing out all week."

Quinn turned her head to look at Rachel, "I guess I'm just tired."

Rachel smiled, "You don't have to come over every night." She looked at herself in the mirror. Her undergarments had certainly got sexier and more matching since Quinn started coming over all the time. She adjusted the strap on her purple bra before walking into her closet to retrieve her dress.

"I sleep better over here," Quinn stated, stretching in the mess of blankets and pillows on Rachel's bed.

"But you have to get up at six in the morning to get home before your mom finds out your gone," Rachel got up on a stool in her closet to get down a pair of heels that she'd been dying to wear. "Is it worth it if you're tired all the time?"

"Every time," Quinn mumbled as the rolled onto her stomach, burying her face in a pillow. This bed was amazing. It was soft and spacious and most of all, it smelled just like Rachel.

"You're going to get tired of me," Rachel warned as she walked out of the closet with the dress on her arm and her shoes in hand.

Quinn smiled up at Rachel, "There's no way to get tired of you. There's always something going on around you. There's never a dull moment when I'm with you."

"I'm not sure that's a compliment Miss Fabray," Rachel picked up the curling iron on her desk and wrapped a piece of hair around it. Once it was done she let it unravel in a perfect spiral. She brushed over it and smiled when it turned wavy like the rest of her hair.

She walked over to the bed and looked at the clock. "Noah's going to be here in twenty minutes."

"Well you better get dressed," Quinn reached up and grabbed Rachel's hand, pulling her onto the bed.

"Quinn, my hair," Rachel protested, but smiled when Quinn just wrapped her arms around her and held her close. Quinn could smell Rachel's perfume and the product in her hair. She loved every animal friendly things that Rachel used to make herself look like she did everyday. She loved that Rachel cared enough about animals to go out of her way to buy things that were vegan. She also loved that when Quinn got the urge to just hold her, Rachel would allow it and wait until Quinn was ready to let go. There wasn't much about Rachel that Quinn didn't love.

Quinn let go of Rachel and kissed her. "I guess you should get dressed. Puck can't go to church with his Puckasaurus trying to get out."

Rachel giggled, "That's gross Quinn." She got off of the bed and slipped on the dress. "I wish I had time to change between temple and the party." She slid her feet into her heels and looked at herself in the mirror. Then Rachel looked over at Quinn and whined, "How am I going to make this dress look unsexy for Shabbat?"

"You look fine," the blonde fluffed the pillow before resting her head on it.

Rachel shook her head, "No. I can't go looking to the Jewish Community Center looking like this." She straightened out her dress as she kept talking, "All the old ladies will be pointing at me and saying who's that shiksa?"

Quinn chuckled, "I love it when you talk Jewish to me."

Rachel rolled her eyes but smiled, "What about my dress problem?"

"Take it off," Quinn smirked.

"I'm serious," Rachel frowned and put her hands on her hips, only making her all the more adorable to Quinn.

Quinn looked her over and decided, "Skinny jeans and a jacket. You can take the jeans off when I pick you up."

"Good idea," Rachel walked into the closet and stepped out looking a lot more cute, but a lot less sexy.

Quinn was glad that she had two more hours to get ready after Rachel left, because she was so ready for a nap. She was planning to go with the just-rolled-out–of-bed look anyway.

Rachel sitting on the edge of the bed and running her fingers through her hair, brought Quinn out of her thoughts. "I'm kinda nervous."

Quinn put her chin in her palm so she could see Rachel's face better. "You'll be fine. You have me and Brittany and if you get into a situation that you're uncomfortable in Mike, Puck, Sam, and probably even Finn will help you out. It'll be fun."

"Promise?" Rachel asked, still looking adorably nervous.

Quinn nodded and brought her face up to Rachel's for a slow tender kiss that soon turned heated. That is until there was a knock on the door.

Rachel gave Quinn one last peck on the lips before she called, "C'min."

The door opened and Puck's muscular frame filled up the door. "Hey." He was in a nice pair of jeans and a button down shirt.

"Hi Noah," Rachel stood up from the bed and straightened out her jacket.

"Sup Quinn," Puck nodded to the Cheerio laying out on the bed.

"Hey Puck," Quinn sat up on the bed.

Puck looked to Rachel, "Ready? Nana's in the car."

"Yeah," Rachel smiled. She looked back at Quinn, "I'll call you when we leave."

"Awesome," Quinn smiled back, "Have fun."

Rachel shook her head and picked up her purse, "So much fun."

Puck chuckled and opened the door for Rachel. Quinn tilted her head as she watched Rachel's ass sway as she walked in the heels. She exhaled and fell back on the bed when they were both gone. Nap time was so on.

"Quinn?" one of Rachel's dads called almost an hour later.

The Cheerio slowly opened her eyes and looked up to find Trevor standing in the doorway with a smile on his face that was almost identical to Rachel's, "Are you hungry? We're being bad and having pizza since our vegan princess isn't here."

Quinn smiled at Rachel's dad and got out of the bed, "Sounds awesome."

She went downstairs and ate with Rachel's dads, having a really great time. They were both ridiculously funny and witty, having her disintegrate into a fit of giggles more than once. She was having so much fun that she almost forgot that she needed to get ready.

After some priming, a lot of hairspray, and a tiny bit of assistance from Rachel's daddy, Quinn was ready. Now all that was left was her date. Well her secret date.

Quinn watched TV for a while, waiting for Rachel to call. It was half an hour after they were supposed to leave when Quinn got a text.

Sorry we're late. This prayer is going on forever. Go ahead and go to the party and I'll ride with Noah.

The blonde closed the text and stared hard at the floor for a moment. Maybe it was better that they show up separately. It's not like she had a choice anymore. She got up off of the bed, grabbed her purse and turned off the light before leaving.

"You fell asleep seven times," Rachel stated after she and Puck had dropped his Nana off.

Puck started unbuttoning his shirt as Rachel was taking off her shoes so she could get her jeans off. "It was boring as hell."

"I can't disagree there," Rachel unbuttoned her jeans and tried to wiggle out of them. That was easier said than done in the front seat of Puck's truck.

"Mrs. Cohen looked good though," Puck used his knees to drive as he tried to shed his outer shirt. Underneath was a plain back v-neck that showed his muscles through it.

Rachel rolled her eyes and grabbed the sleeve of his button down, "Please keep at least one hand on the wheel." She pulled the sleeve off of his arm before helping with the other one and then resumed shaking out of her jeans.

"Woo Berry! Those are some nice panties," he smirked when he caught a glimpse of them as Rachel was kicking the jeans off of her feet. "Who are you trying to impress?"

"Not you," Rachel added as she took off her jacket.

"Finn?" Puck asked, "Girls don't wear panties like that unless they're planning on someone else seeing them."

"Not Finn," Rachel shook her head and took a mirror out of her purse to make sure that the boring didn't wash off some of her make-up.

"Sam," Puck stated, "It's gotta be Sam."

"Who says I'm trying to impress anyone?" Rachel asked.

"Those panties," Puck pulled to a stop behind a line of cars and put the truck in park, "And those Fuck-Me heels."

"Excuse me?" Rachel asked, snapping her mirror closed and replacing it in her purse.

"Santana told me that's what they're called," he grinned, "She said they're made for pointing to the sky."

Rachel's mouth dropped open. Apparently she needed to spend more time watching MTV so she would know these things.

She unbuckled herself and got out of the truck with Puck on her fuck-me heels.

The second Rachel stepped into the house, Quinn saw her. She completely forgot that she was having a conversation with a football player about something she couldn't remember.

"Who is that?" the football player who had been talking, asked. "I would love to tap that."

Quinn glared at the guy before making her way over to Rachel.

Rachel saw Quinn make her way over and swore she heard Quinn mumbled about how she was going to be the only one to tap something.

"Hey," Rachel smiled anyway.

"Hey," Quinn smiled back and watched Puck walk off to get a beer. "C'mon let's get you a drink."

Rachel followed Quinn into the kitchen, "What did you do after I left?"

Quinn picked up a clean cup and poured some vodka in the bottom of it, "I took a nap, ate dinner with your dads, and got ready." She covered up the vodka with cranberry juice and handed it to Rachel.

Rachel sniffed the drink before taking a sip.

"I didn't roofie your drink," Quinn giggled and made herself one.

The shorter girl grinned and looked around them to make sure no one was listening before she added, "You know there's no need to."

Quinn laughed and looked through the crowd. She spotted Santana and Brittany dancing on what had been deemed the dance floor. "Okay so, do you want to split them up and meet in the backyard in an hour? Santana's already done three shots so it shouldn't take long for her to get completely trashed."

"Sounds good," Rachel nodded. She raised her glass and toasted, "To being awesomely sneaky."

Quinn tapped her glass to Rachel's, "To being sneakily awesome."

They giggled and drank before parting ways with a lingering look.

Puck had already made himself the center of the party and somehow he decided that Santana was going to be his girl of the night. Quinn was having a hell of a time getting them apart, but was having no trouble getting Santana to drink.

Quinn was having less fun at this party than she did when she lived with Puck and he was throwing parties while she stayed in the basement. She was getting more and more pissed at Santana. She could see that Brittany would still glances and turn back to Tina and Rachel, slightly wounded. Plus there were rumors going around about Rachel and Puck just because they showed up together. If someone asked Quinn if she heard about Rachel and Puck showing up together one more time, she was going to chuck her drink in their face.

Rachel on the other hand was having fun despite the few forlorn looks on Brittany's face. She'd never been this attractive to the school's elite and Brittany would spontaneously pulled Tina and Rachel to the makeshift dance floor. Tina a slightly less comfortable than Rachel at this party, seeing as how it was her first popular party as well, but Brittany was making it fun for everyone.

As they danced, Rachel glanced over at where Santana, Puck, Quinn, and a few other people were hanging out, playing some sort of drinking game. She caught Quinn checking her out as they danced. Quinn let out a small smile and a quick wink before jerking her head toward the back door.

Rachel nodded and went back to dancing. She leaned over to Brittany, "I'm hot. Can we go outside for a sec?"

Brittany grinned and nodded. She took Rachel's hand and led her through the crowd. Tina was about to follow them when Mike showed up and started dancing with her.

Rachel saw Brittany stutter-step when she saw Santana sitting in Puck's lap. Rachel was about to ask if she was okay when Brittany sped up and slipped outside unnoticed.

"San, why don't you go outside and get some air?" Quinn suggested to Santana who was leaned on the counter in the kitchen, mixing yet another drink. It was time and Rachel and Brittany had already disappeared.

"Why don't you go make out with Rachel?" Santana snapped back.

Quinn had had enough. "Why don't you stop being such a fucking sociopathic slut?"

"Don't get pissed at me because your girl showed up with Puck," Santana turned around getting into Quinn's face.

The blonde stood her ground and sarcastically tilted her head to the side, "Hmm, I guess that means Rachel stole your man."

"No one can steal Puck from me."

"Oh yeah cause you keep him on a really tight leash," Quinn rolled her eyes and turned on her heel. She marched to the back door and opened it.

"Oh fuck no Fabray, we're not done," Santana grabbed her drink and followed Quinn out onto the back porch.

Once the door behind her closed, Quinn looked around. She found Rachel and Brittany on the far end of the porch sitting on the steps to the hot tub. The light from under the water was illuminating them, but not so much that they stood out.

Brittany opened her mouth, but Rachel covered it. As far as she could see Santana didn't see them.

"Where are you going?" Santana asked, looking at Quinn.

Quinn shook her head, "You're ridiculous."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Santana put her drink down on rail of the porch.

Quinn let all of her fury out at Santana, "What you're doing with Puck and Brittany! You're using both of them. Although Puck likes it, you're hurting Brittany."

Santana grabbed onto the railing of the porch, "What are you talking about?"

"In there right now, you were all over Puck and Brittany was in the corner watching with this wounded puppy look on her face," Quinn stepped off of the porch and into the grass. "I can't believe you'd do that to her."

Santana shook her head, "Am I in some kind of damn twilight zone? Because last time I checked you were ignoring your girlfriend at school to stay on top of the Cheerio pyramid, but as soon as practice is over your at her house."

"You only know that because you're at Brittany's house!" Quinn squealed because Santana was hitting a little too close to home. This was supposed to be about Brittany and Santana. "You're so damn dense!"

Santana clenched her fists and leaned toward Quinn, "I'm always at her house. She's my best friend."

"That you're in love with," Quinn evenly stated.

"What is your hang up?" Santana angrily shook her head, "Why do you care so much?"

"Brittany is my friend and I'm done watching you hurt her," the blonde matched Santana's pose.

Rachel was wondering if she should intervene. She really didn't want either one of them to get hurt and they both looked ready to hit the other one.

"You don't understand," Santana said through gritted teeth and joined Quinn on the grass.

"Enlighten me," Quinn threw her hands up, "Because I don't understand."

"We're different," Santana's attitude did a complete one eighty and she sat back on the steps, looking defeated, "She understands."

"She thinks you don't love her," Quinn let out without thinking about it.

"You won't supposed to tell her that," Brittany's voice came from where she and Rachel were sitting. The blonde dancer walked over to them. She looked accusingly at Quinn.

"I'm sorry B. I was just…" Quinn took a deep breath, "I just don't understand."

Santana stood up and turned to Brittany, "Is it true?"

The blonde looked down at the wooden porch, tears welling up in her eyes, "She wasn't supposed to tell you."

Santana glanced back at Rachel and Quinn, "Why are you fucking with us? We were doing fine."

"Were you really?" Rachel quietly asked.

Santana glared at Rachel and Quinn stepped protectively in front of her so that Santana couldn't hurt her.

"It's okay San," Brittany took the other Cheerio's hand. "Let's just go back to the party."

Santana allowed Brittany to pull her back into the party, leaving Rachel and Quinn outside.

"Well that sucked," Quinn sighed, "Now they're both mad at me."

"Maybe we started something," Rachel offered hopefully, "Maybe Santana will realize how much Brittany is hurting now."

Quinn led the way back inside and they stopped at the kitchen to get something to drink. They spotted Santana back in Puck's lap and Brittany making out with Sam.

Rachel just shook her head and walked back into the party, drink in hand. Quinn shot her a look that said we-did-what-we-could before rejoining her drinking game.

As it was nearing two a.m., Quinn was getting ready to leave. Her hour-long nap didn't make up for the fact that she usually only slept four hours a night during the previous school week. She'd stopped drinking an hour ago because she'd decided that she would be the one driving Rachel home.

She found Rachel giggling with Tina, Brittany, and some other Cheerios. Her face was flushed and she was swaying as she sat. Quinn smirked Rachel was obviously drunk.

"Ready?" Quinn asked her.

Rachel nodded and started to stand, but sat back down. "Standing seems to be more difficult than I remember."

The blonde offered Rachel her hand and pulled her up.

"I should go to," Brittany dug in her purse and pulled out her keys. Her gain was unsteady as well.

"I'll take you home," Quinn offered and took Brittany's keys.

The taller blonde grinned and threw her arms around Brittany, "You're the best Q."

Quinn caught Tina's eyes, "Are you okay to drive?"

She giggled and shook her head, "But Mike is. Bye."

Quinn, Brittany and Rachel made their way out to Quinn's car. Rachel fell into the passenger's seat and Brittany laid out in the backseat.

"Wait," Brittany called as Quinn started the car and cranked the heater up, "I have to text San."

The head Cheerio looked over at Rachel who was looking back at her with a guilty smile. Rachel giggled, "You're so hot."

Quinn chuckled at the statement and shook her head, "You're a horny drunk aren't you?"

"Yeah," Rachel bit her lip and nodded.

Quinn was about to answer when the backseat door opened and Santana slid in. Once the door was closed, Quinn pulled away.

"How was Sam?" Santana asked with a slightly bitter tone.

Quinn thought she was talking to her, until she looked in the rearview mirror and saw Santana looking at Brittany.

Brittany shrugged, "He's not a really great kisser."

Quinn nodded. Brittany was right.

Santana looked at Brittany and suddenly kissed her. Quinn watched the two slide out of her rearview mirror as they laid down in the backseat.

She was about to tell them not to have sex in her car when she caught a glimpse of Rachel squiring around in her seat. The brunette's hands were behind her back and her dress was riding up ridiculously far.

"What are you doing?" Quinn asked.

Rachel scrunched up her nose before she pulled her bra out of her dress.

The blonde's eyes got huge, "Rachel!"

"It was uncomfortable," Rachel shrugged and tossed the bra into the floorboard.

Quinn couldn't get to Brittany's house fast enough. She slammed on the brakes in front of Brittany's house and heard a thud as Santana fell into the floorboard.

"What the fuck Q?" Santana asked as Brittany helped her out of the car.

"Go have sex on a bed," Quinn called before Santana closed the door and they two Cheerios ran, laughing to Brittany's house.

Quinn pulled up a few feet and parked in front of Rachel's house. The shorter girl moved the armrest out of the way and straddled Quinn's lap.

"Rach, we can just go inside," Quinn murmur against Rachel's lips.

Rachel nodded. "I know." She kissed Quinn passionately for a few more minutes before Rachel pulled away in a fit of giggles.

"You're so drunk," Quinn shook her head, "Let's go inside."

"I can't let my dads seem me like this."

"We'll go through your window," Quinn answered.

Rachel thought it over and nodded, "Okay."

Quinn had to help Rachel through the window because she was not only drunk, but short. Rachel tumbled inside and started laughing uncontrollably. Quinn just shook her head and hopped inside. She closed the window and knelt down next to Rachel, carefully removing Rachel's heels.

Rachel leaned forward, capturing Quinn's lips again just as the blonde got off her second heel. Quinn laid down on the floor with Rachel straddling her. Rachel gathered the bottom of Quinn's dress and pulled it up, revealing that Quinn was going commando tonight.

"Quinn," Rachel giggled, "Where are your panties?"

Quinn grinned, "What's the point in wearing them when the second I see you they get all wet?"

At the comment, Rachel moaned and lightly ran her hands up Quinn's thighs before lightly running one finger the length of Quinn's slit.

The blonde arched her back into Rachel whose lips found her own in record time.

Suddenly, Rachel sat up stopped everything that she was doing. Quinn knew the look on her face and muttered, "Bathroom," before Rachel tore off toward the bathroom.

Quinn was right behind her, gathering her hair out of her face as Rachel emptied her stomach into the toilet.

When Rachel was done, Quinn left Rachel to brush her teeth and wash her face. She put the pillows on the bed how Rachel liked them and then turned down the covers. Then she found the trashcan in Rachel's room and set it next to the bed.

"Quinn?" Rachel called weakly as she walked into the bedroom.

The blonde turned and looked at Rachel.

"Can you…." Rachel trailed off, tugging at her dress.

Quinn nodded and walked over to Rachel. She pulled the dress over Rachel's head and took Rachel's hand to steady her. Rachel shuffled over to the bed and slowly lowered herself onto it.

"I'm never drinking again," Rachel mumbled as Quinn turned off the light and crawled in next to her.

Rachel snuggled into Quinn, resting her head on the Cheerio's shoulder. "I'm sure your dads will be glad to hear it."

"Sorry I ruined the…sexy…" Rachel muttered as she was slipping into sleep.

"It's okay," Quinn kissed Rachel's forehead. "Goodnight."

"G'night."


	22. Chapter 22

Rachel woke up to puke one last time at six fifty-five in the morning. She thought that she managed to get to the bathroom without waking Quinn, but when she returned to the bed Quinn was looking up at her.

"How do you feel?" the blonde asked, opening her arms.

Rachel groaned and rolled into Quinn's arms. She buried her face in Quinn's neck.

Quinn chuckled and ran her fingers through Rachel's hair, "Headache? Nauseas? Sore Muscles?"

"Yes," Rachel mumbled, "And the sun's too bright."

"The sun's not even up yet," Quinn kissed the top of Rachel's head.

The songstress groaned again and sighed, "Never drinking again."

Quinn smiled against Rachel's temple, "You know what's a good cure for a hangover?"

"What?"

"Bacon," the blonde smirked, knowing that she was playing with fire.

Rachel shot out of her arms, "Quinn Fabray!- Ow, ow, ow," Rachel grabbed her head and lulled away from Quinn.

"What was that?" Quinn scooted over to Rachel and wrapped her arms around the shorter girl.

"Something about animals and evil something…." Rachel huffed, rubbing her head. "I'm going to die."

Quinn sat up and slowly ran her fingers through Rachel's hair, gently massaging her scalp. "I was joking."

"Bad joke," Rachel squeezed her eyes shut, but found that that hurt her brain as well, "How much did I think last night?"

"Did Brittany make any of your drinks?"

"Yeah."

Quinn ran a finger down Rachel's forehead and down the bridge of her nose. "Then you probably drank a lot. Brittany tends to make drinks a little strong. How about you turn on the TV and I'll get you some water?"

Rachel silently nodded, keeping her eyes closed. She moved her head off of Quinn and blindly reached for the remote on her nightstand. The blonde stood off the bed and rolled her eyes as Rachel's hand passed over the remote more than once. She finally picked it up and placed it in Rachel's hand.

"Thanks," Rachel pulled the blankets over her head and poked the remote out from the shelter, turning on the TV. Quinn giggled and went to get Rachel's water.

When she returned, Rachel had surfaced and was laying on a stack of pillows watching cartoons. Quinn handed her the water and patiently waited while Rachel drank as much as she wanted before taking the glass back and setting it on the nightstand. Then she got back into bed with Rachel, draping an arm over her middle.

After a few episodes of SpongeBob, there was a knock on the door. It opened without one of them answering and they jumped apart. "Please put some clothes on," Santana said through her fingers that were covering her eyes and half of her face.

Quinn looked herself over and then looked Rachel over. They were both fully clothed, "We're wearing clothes."

"Oh good," Santana pulled her hands away from her face. "B and C are bringing up the breakfast they made and I just wanted to make sure you two weren't having sex before they got here."

"C?" Rachel asked, looking at Quinn.

"Christina," Quinn stated.

Santana's eyes fell to Rachel and she smirked, "You look like shit."

"Gee thanks," Rachel rolled her eyes, but also found that that hurt her head too. She closed her eyes, "Who's Christina?"

Before Quinn or Santana could answer, Brittany walked in with a little girl that looked almost exactly like a mini-Brittany in a green soccer uniform and a very Cheerio-esque ponytail. The little girl was holding a tray of misshapen muffins and grinning from ear to ear. "Hi Quinn."

"Hey Christina," Quinn grinned at the little girl. "How are you?"

"I'm okay," the little girl offered Quinn a muffin, "Do you want one?"

"They look delicious," Quinn surveyed the tray and picked out the one that looked least like a muffin, "Especially this one. Thank you."

The little girl looked at Rachel, "Do you want one?"

"She's sick C," Santana told her.

"Oh."

"How did you know?" Rachel asked.

Santana smirked, "We could hear you puking from next door."

Rachel ducked her head and tried to figure out just how loud she would have to be for them to hear her.

Christina handed the tray to her sister and took a clear cup with a pink looking drink in it from her. The little girl walked over to Rachel and handed her the drink, "Brittany made you a smoothie because you're sick."

"Thank you," Rachel smiled at the little girl.

Christina made her way back to her sister and Santana. She looked up Santana, "You got my cleats right?"

Santana looked affectionately down at the girl and played with her ponytail, "Have I ever forgotten them?"

"No," Christina giggled and hugged Santana's waist.

Rachel sipped her smoothie while Quinn nibbled on her deformed muffin, "Do you have a soccer game C?"

"Yup," her blonde hair bobbed as she nodded.

"Awesome," Quinn beamed, "Good luck."

"Santana said I don't need luck with I kick…butt," the little girl rocked back on her heels.

Brittany shot a slightly disapproving glare to Santana who was looking around the room because she knew it was coming.

Santana's eyes caught the clock on the wall, "We need to get going. We still have to get drinks for your team and B's boyfriend."

Christina looked up at her big sister, "Wes won't stop talking about you. It's annoying."

Brittany giggled and added, "Why don't you and San go to the car and I'll be right there?"

Santana held her hand out for the smallest blonde who took it. Santana also took the muffins from Brittany and walked out of the room.

Quinn got a little nervous when Brittany looked right at her after Santana and Christina disappeared from sight. "Look B I'm sorry. It was the heat of the moment and –"

Brittany cut her off with a laugh, "It's okay Quinn." She shrugged, "Last night, right before she fell asleep she told me that she loved me." Brittany swept her bangs out of her eyes, "I don't think she remembers it, but…at least now I know." She held Quinn's eyes, "I just wanted to let you know. So you two don't get in a fight again."

"I was just worried about you B," Quinn offered quietly.

"I know," Brittany smiled against, "Thanks." She looked at Rachel, "I hope you feel better."

"Thanks," Rachel replied.

Brittany turned to the door, "If you guys want to hang out today, text me."

"Okay," Quinn nodded, "Bye Brit."

"Bye," the blonde threw over her shoulder as she walked out the door.

Quinn sighed, "Now all we need is Santana to consciously admit that she's in love with Brittany."

"It'll happen," Rachel assured Quinn and took another sip of her smoothie. "Are Brittany's parents out of town?"

"Not that I know of," Quinn quirked an eyebrow, "Why?"

"Why are Brittany and Santana taking her to her soccer game?"

Quinn grinned, "Because they always do. Ever since Christina started playing, Santana and Brittany take her, no matter how hungover or late they are to the Saturday Cheerio practices we used to have."

"Aww," Rachel looked out her window toward Brittany's house then back at Quinn, "That's adorable. Santana's definitely not as mean as I thought she was."

"Santana's vicious," Quinn added, "But she had a soft spot for Brittany and mini-Brittany."

Rachel stretched, "This smoothie is great. I already feel better. Which I good because I have to make a trip to the music store."

"For what?"

"I need a solo piece for my Lima community theatre audition this summer," Rachel explained, "What are your plans for today?"

Quinn shrugged, "I'll probably go work out for a few hours and then do homework."

Rachel got off of the bed and padded over to her desk, "You're welcome to stay as long as you want. I'll leave when you do."

The blonde looked at the clock, "I should probably go home and take a shower then put in some face time with my mom."

Rachel picked up Quinn's dress off of the floor and then walked to the closet to get a hanger. After she hung it up, she picked up Quinn's shoes and set them on the floor by the bed.

Quinn waited around while Rachel got dressed in some cute skinny jeans and a baggy off the shoulder black shirt that Brittany picked out. She brushed her hair out and looked at herself in the mirror. After deciding that she didn't look half bad, she turned to Quinn who was pulling on some of her jeans that she found in Rachel's closet.

"Are you sure you feel okay?" Quinn slipped on her heels and grabbed her purse.

Rachel smiled at her and stood on her tippy toes to kiss Quinn, "I'm fine."

"Okay," Quinn looked a little preoccupied to Rachel, but the brunette just brushed it off as shell shock from the whirlwind of Cheerios and a mini soccer player that appeared and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

They walked outside together and parted ways at their cars. Rachel noticed that Quinn's goodbye smile looked forced, but didn't know what to attribute it to.

This thought occupied her mind from her driveway all the way to the music store. As she perused the shelves and flipped through the books, a steady frown stayed on her face. She needed to know what was up with Quinn. Maybe she'd have to drop by the gym and use one of the ellipticals there.

"Fancy running into you here," a dreadfully familiar voice drifted from the end of the aisle toward her.

Rachel's head snapped to the direction of the comment. "Jesse?"


	23. Chapter 23

I just wanted to quickly thank everyone for reading and/or reviewing. I hope you're still enjoying it as much as I still enjoy writing it.

* * *

"Hey," Jesse smiled and put his hands in his pockets.

"Hi," Rachel's eyes narrowed, "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged, "I'm home for the weekend from UCLA. I was just wandering around my old haunts. How are you?"

"Still vegan," Rachel snapped and turned back to the stacks of music.

He ducked his head, "I guess I deserve your cold shoulder. I know I was very immature and I apologize. Can I buy you a cup of coffee to help apologize?"

"Coffee will not help you gain my forgiveness," Rachel stated, defiantly.

"Will Barbra Streisand's complete songbook?" he asked, holding up the item.

Fifteen minutes later, Rachel found herself at a small coffee shop down the street from the music store. She was flipping through Barbra's songbook as Jesse patiently sipped his coffee.

"So how are things at McKinley High?" Jesse asked when Rachel finally closed the book.

Rachel shrugged, "It's basically the same as last year. Maybe a little more exciting."

"Oh yeah?" Jesse flipped his hair out of his eyes, "New boyfriend?"

Rachel bit her lip and ran her finger over the rim of her cup, "Um not really. There's a new girlfriend though. Sort of."

Quinn was running around the track at the school, her iPod blaring into her ears. Her legs were burning and the chilly air was making her lungs hurt, but she couldn't stop. She needed to run. Finally her legs felt like she was going to fall down, so she stopped and dropped to her knees on the grass of the football field. Then she rolled onto her back and stared at the sky.

However instead of just laying there, she bent her knees and started doing crunches. It only took a few minutes to do two hundred crunches and Quinn thought she may pass out. She stood up and walked over to her Cheerio bag figuring she deserved a break. She pulled her phone and water bottle out of her back and texted Rachel while she was drinking.

Rachel's phone vibrated on the table between her and Jesse. She smiled when she saw who it was. _What are you up to?_ Rachel looked over at Jesse and thought for a moment. She was a little worried that Quinn may get mad about who she was hanging out with, but she didn't want to lie to her.

Quinn was stretching when her phone buzzed on the bleachers. She opened the text and frowned after she read it. _I'm having coffee with Jesse._

"Texting your sort of girlfriend?" Jesse asked leaning back in his chair.

Rachel nodded and read her most recent text from Quinn. _Jesse St. Jerk?_ A slight smile graced her face as she replied.

Quinn was scanning through her songs when Rachel's reply came back. _Yeah. He apologized for the egg incident. He's here for the weekend from UCLA._

The blonde sent one last text before stuffing her phone back in her bag and took off running again.

"What's really going on with you two?" Jesse asked as Rachel read Quinn's message. _Call me when you get done. I'm going to go run again._

Rachel nodded to the message although it didn't communicate anything to Quinn and placed her phone on the table. Rachel crossed her arms on the table, "I don't know. I mean we have almost nothing in common, except glee and this unbridled, confusing, unrelenting attraction to each other."

"This is so hot," Jesse muttered.

Rachel shot him a disapproving look.

"Even though I'm sensitive and I'm a good listener, I'm still a guy," he shrugged.

Rachel sighed. She was dying to tell someone about her relationship with Quinn, but everyone at school was off limits and Jesse didn't even live in town anymore. But she guessed that was too much to hope for, "Never mind."

"No go on," Jesse urged her, "I'll just pretend that she's Gill."

Rachel paused trying to figure out what he was talking about. It clicked a few seconds later and corrected him, "Finn."

"Whatever," Jesse picked up his coffee and took a long sip.

"I think," Rachel paused, "I think I've …fallen for her. Like crazy romance movie, every Celine Dion song kind of love."

"Like Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn?" Jesse asked with a smile.

Rachel looked into her drink, "Yeah. But now she's acting kinda weird. I mean the sex is still incredible and mind-blowing and she's still so affectionate. It just…I don't know. Maybe I'm just looking for something to be wrong."

Jesse nodded, "I think that's why we didn't work out. We're too much alike. We wear our hearts on our sleeves and we're really single minded. We've planned out the rest of our lives down to the square footage of our future Manhattan lofts. Maybe you need someone who doesn't tell you exactly what she's thinking all the time and maybe she needs someone who tells her exactly what they're thinking all the time."

After thinking it over, Rachel bobbed her head. The boy was making a lot of sense. "I used to think the notion of opposite attracting was ludicrous."

"Well it seems to be true," Jesse smiled and added, "I'm now dating a concrete thinking law student who can't carry a tune in a suitcase."

Rachel smiled softly, "That's sweet."

Quinn was so deep in thought, she didn't realize how much her lungs hurt until she felt like she couldn't breathe. She slowed to a walk and put her hands on her head, trying to slow her breathing.

Her quest to be the best Cheerio Sue Sylvester had ever seen was started to come to fruition. She was head Cheerio again. She was feared. She was admired. She was wanted. It was what she'd wanted since her sister had been a Cheerio. Then Rachel happened and her whole world was shaken up. Never before had she wanted to stay in bed with someone over going over her Cheerio routine. Or staying in and watching old movies she had no interest in over putting in some face time at a party. But now Rachel was all she thought about. It seemed that Rachel was undoing all the years of hard work and planning. And if word got out that the head Cheerio was sleeping with Rachel Berry of all people…all of the work could disappear.

Quinn kicked a rock that was on the track, "Damn it." She didn't want to have to have this conflict. It was easier when she was dating Finn or Sam. Cheerios always came first. Even when she was making out with them, she was thinking about how to utilize Brittany's dancing skills in their routines or how many times they could flip the flyers in the air without one of them throwing up. When she's around Rachel, her brain is a hot damn mess. She couldn't think about anything, but touching or kissing her.

Rachel zoned out while Jesse was telling her about his classes at UCLA. It's not that she wasn't interested. It was that she was more interested in a blonde Cheerio.

Jesse tapped his cup on the table, shaking Rachel out of her own head. "Oh I'm sorry."

He smiled, "It's okay. I totally understand." He scooted his chair back and stood, "I should probably get going anyway."

Rachel stood up with him and hugged him. He was a decent boyfriend and a horrible ex-boyfriend, but he was a good friend.

It was late afternoon by the time Rachel finally got home. She dropped her new songbook on the bed and sat down at her desk to get some homework done. However she had something to do first. She dialed Quinn and pressed her phone to her ear, humming "Somewhere" by Barbra Streisand to herself.

"Hey," Quinn answered, out of breath.

"Hey," Rachel replied happily, "Are you still running?"

"Yeah," Quinn panted and started walking around the track.

Rachel ran a finger over the metal spirals of her notebook. Her volume lowered considerably as she asked, "Is something wrong?"

Quinn hated that tone of Rachel's voice. The tone that sounded so weak and unsure of herself. She kicked at the rubber track under her sneakers, "No. I'm just trying to catch up on my work outs."

"I'm sorry," Rachel bit the inside of her cheek, thinking about how she told Jesse that they didn't have anything in common, but glee and an attraction to each other. Maybe if she tried out for Cheerios…then she rolled her eyes at herself realizing how stupid that was.

"For what?" Quinn asked deciding that it was probably time to stop. Her muscles were burning and she was going to be sore as hell tomorrow.

"I've been keeping you from working out," Rachel added.

Quinn threw her bag over her shoulder and started making her way to the car, "You haven't been keeping me from anything." There was a hint of defiance and indignation in her voice that wasn't lost on Rachel.

"I didn't mean to imply-"Rachel panicked, thinking that she had pissed Quinn off.

"No," Quinn sighed, "I'm sorry. I'm just tired. I think I'm just going to go home and go to bed."

"Oh, okay," Rachel was really hoping for Quinn to come over. "Well I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay," Quinn got to her car and leaned back on it. "Bye Rach."

"Bye Quinn," Rachel hung up her phone and set it on the desk, staring at her notebook. She guessed now was as good of a time as ever to do her homework.

The rest of her night was pretty boring. She ate dinner with her dads and watched an old Spencer Tracy/Katharine Hepburn movie before turning off the lights in her room and crawling into bed.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, a scraping noise jerked her back into the waking world. She rolled onto her back to see a very familiar person crawling into her window. She smiled, "You came."

Quinn didn't answer. She just walked over to the bed and quickly crawled on top of Rachel, nailing her to the bed with a searing kiss. Rachel moaned into the kiss and moved her hands up to Quinn's cheeks. But when she touched Quinn, the blonde leaned back on her knees and wrapped her fingers around Rachel's wrists. She placed Rachel's hands above her head, kissing her hard again.

Rachel understood what Quinn meant by the gesture. After all, they'd played this game before. Quinn gently bit down on Rachel's neck and the brunette yelped in surprise. Rachel gripped the underside of her pillow trying to keep her hands off of Quinn. It was a lot harder to do now that she'd been allowed to do it for so long.

Quinn pushed Rachel's cami up and over her head, tossing it to the side. Rachel shuddered as she felt Quinn's eyes examining every inch of her torso with intense, dark eyes. Quinn wasted no more time and took one of Rachel's nipples into her mouth, alternating between biting and sucking while her hand rolled the other hardened nub between her fingers.

"Oh god," Rachel bit her lip as her back involuntarily arched.

Quinn nipped a trail all the way back to Rachel's neck as she yanked Rachel's pink with gold starred pajama pants down, taking the shorter girl's panties with them. She planted a kiss on Rachel's shoulder before sucking hard on her collarbone. At the same time she ran her fingers around Rachel's opening, teasing the girl under her. She ran her nails against the skin on the inside of Rachel's thighs and then pressed her palm against her clit.

Rachel gasped, rolling her hips forward, trying to get more contact. "Please Quinn," Rachel panted.

The blonde looked over Rachel's face before slowly sliding one finger into Rachel. She pulled it all the way back out before slowly sliding it back in.

"Quinn," Rachel whined. Her knuckles were turning white under the pillow, as she balled the material in her fists.

Quinn added another finger and used to free hand to knead Rachel's right breast while her tongue and teeth played around Rachel's neck.

Rachel squeezed her eyes shut, all of her senses on overload. She knew it was only a matter of seconds before she came. "Oh yeah….right- Oh Quinn…"

Then all at once, Quinn pinched her nipple and bit down on her neck. The blonde curled the fingers that were inside Rachel and felt the smaller girl's whole body spasm with an orgasm.

"Oh…. my…god," Rachel's voice was lost in the euphoric haze that had settled over her and her words came out as a whisper. She let go of the pillowcase and flexed her hands.

As she pulled her hands out from under the pillow, Quinn pulled herself off of the bed. Rachel carefully watched as Quinn walked back to the window and slid back out.

Rachel's eyebrows furrowed. She wasn't sure if she was just having déjà vu or what. So she reached over to the nightstand and picked up her phone. She sent a text to Quinn.

_Where are you going?_

_Home._ That was her one word answer.

_What's wrong? I know there's something wrong._ Rachel was immensely concerned at this point.

It took a few minutes for her to receive a reply. As soon as she saw her phone light up, she opened it. _It's nothing. Goodnight Rach._

Rachel took that as Quinn's way of trying to end the conversation. However Rachel wasn't one to give up that easily. _Why won't you tell me? Did I do something?_

_No._

_Quinn please tell me. I want to help._

_You can't help. I just have to figure some things out._

Rachel was frustrated beyond anything she'd ever felt. Screw what Jesse said about her needing someone who didn't tell her what they were thinking. She wanted to know what was going on inside Quin's head.

_How do you know I can't help? Maybe it'll help if you talk about it._

_Maybe tomorrow. I'm going to sleep. Goodnight._

Rachel let out a heavy sigh, giving up for the moment and whispered into the dark, "Goodnight Quinn...I love you."


	24. Chapter 24

Rachel woke up the next morning and went through her usual routine. She was on the elliptical for an hour before showering and vocal exercises.

As she was going through her scales, there was a knock on the door. "C'min," Rachel called and sat on her bed, watching the door open. She couldn't help, but hope it was Quinn.

"Hey," her dad smiled at her, "We're going to go to the movies and then sofa shopping. Wanna come?"

Rachel forced a smiled, "Sure."

"Okay, come downstairs when you're ready," he looked affectionately on his daughter, "Love you, honey."

"Love you too," Rachel called back and looked over at her phone on the bed. It hadn't made a peep all morning. She picked up the useless object, turned it on silent and shoved it into her purse. After she put on her shoes, she grabbed her purse and walked out the door of her bedroom.

Rachel had refused to look at her phone before or after the moving, but when they were in the furniture store it was like the phone was begging her to check it. Rachel was sure she was going to fine no missed calls or texts, but her hand was itching to dig her phone out.

Just as she had her hand halfway down in her purse her dad called, sitting on one of the display couches, "Hey Rachel, come tell us what you think of this one."

Rachel pulled her hand out of her purse and walked over to them, joining her daddy on the ottoman. She grinned at their playful banter over the couch. Sometimes her dads were so adorable. She leaned on her daddy and he put an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. She giggled and joined in on the conversation about the couch.

Meanwhile, Quinn was getting ready for another run. All of her muscles ached with every step, but she was desperately trying to clear her mind. She turned up the music on her iPod and left her house, running to the school.

When she got to the track she found that someone was already there. Santana was running around the track, her ponytail swinging back and forth as she ran. Quinn internally cursed. She wanted to be the only person on the track so she didn't have to think about anything but the pounding of her own feet on the ground.

Quinn dropped her bag off on the bleachers next to Santana's and started stretching. Santana trotted up on her next pass and wiped the perspiration from her forehead with the back of her hand. She opened her bag and dug out her Cheerio water bottle. She had headphones in her own ears and hitched her chin to Quinn when the blonde looked at her.

"How long have you been here?" Quinn asked, turning down her music.

"Huh?" Santana pulled one of earbuds out as she took a long drink of her water.

Quinn repeated her question.

Santana picked up her phone and looked at the time, "Um, an hour and a half."

"Where's Brittany?" Quinn continued stretching although her muscles screamed in protest from yesterday's suicidal workout.

The brunette Cheerio knelt down to tie her shoe, "She's at Mike's house working on their science project."

Quinn nodded. Now it made sense why Santana had been running for an hour and a half. Santana was upset and thinking of all the non-academic things that Brittany and Mike could be doing. The blonde sighed. She was here, running out her girl problems just like Santana was.

"Are you going to keep running until they're done?" Quinn asked, standing up, feeling as ready as she was going to be for her run.

Santana met Quinn's eyes and nodded, "Probably."

Quinn nodded, "Then let's go."

They took off running side by side, focused on not thinking at all. However that worked for neither girl.

When Rachel got home she finally took out her phone. Just as she suspected, she didn't have any missed anything. So she dropped her purse on the couch and decided to go get her songbook to show her dads.

But before she could get out of the living room, her daddy called her back, "Rachel honey, can we talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure," Rachel turned around and walked back to the living room. She found her dads sitting on the couch side by side. Rachel looked them over, "What's going on? Last time you were both sitting like this, it was to tell me that the neighbors had been calling the cops because I was singing too loud."

They both chuckled. Her dad shook his head, "No honey it's nothing like that."

She rounded the armchair in the living room and sat down, facing them, "Then what's going on?"

Her dad looked at her daddy who seemed to be trying to find the right words to say, "We just wanted to check in with you. We know that high school is a very difficult time."

Rachel mulled over the idea of telling them what was going on with her and Quinn. She bit her lip. "I'm fine. I'm just…I just broke up with Finn."

Her daddy didn't look surprised, "What did he do?"

"He didn't do anything," Rachel shook her head, "I just…developed unexpected feeling for someone else."

"Oh?" they both said together. Her daddy pressed further, "Anyone we know?"

Rachel shook her head, "It's really complicated right now. I don't really want to talk about it."

Her daddy put his arm on the back of the couch behind his husband, "Well you know where we are if you do. We don't want you to feel like you can't talk to us just because we're your parents. We were both teenagers once too."

Rachel smiled at them. "Thanks." She stood up hoping that this conversation was over because if they pried any farther, she knew that she would spill the beans to her dads. She was never one to lie to them.

"Any requests for dinner?" her daddy called after her.

Rachel shrugged, "I'm not really hungry. I'll let you know if I get hungry though." She got down the hall and closed the door when she got into her room. She was hoping that Quinn would be laying on her bed when she got there.

When she found an empty bed, Rachel walked over to the desk to get a book that she had a finish for her English class. After searching her desk, she finally remembered it was in her car. She walked back through the living room where her dads were now watching TV.

A chill grabbed her as she trotted to her car. The temperature had dropped in the short time she had been inside and the sky had darkened, becoming threatening. Rachel did what every other kid in Lima was doing and prayed for it to snow so much that school was cancelled.

As Rachel opened her car door, she saw an unfamiliar car pull to a stop in front of Brittany's house. The blonde Cheerio got out and smiled at the driver before closing the door.

"Hey Rachel!" Brittany waved and walked over to the singer who grabbed her book and closed the door.

"Hey Brittany," Rachel couldn't help but smile.

The blonde glanced at her house, "What are you doing?"

"Homework," Rachel held up the book.

"I just finished my science project with Mike," Brittany added, sharing her homework woes.

Rachel wrapped her arms around herself, "Did you do the Spanish homework?"

"Yeah," Brittany nodded, "Quinn helped me during class."

At the mention of Quinn, Rachel's eyes wandered the street. She wanted to see Quinn's car pulling up. She was angry with herself for wanting Quinn so desperately.

"Well I have to go call Santana," Brittany hugged Rachel, "I'll text you later. Maybe we can watch a movie or something."

"Cool," Rachel smiled at the bubbly blonde before running back inside.

Quinn decided that working out with Santana was a terrible idea. They were constantly trying to outdo each other. They were trying to run farther or do more than the other, which was making them both suffer.

Santana looked relieved when she heard her phone ringing. She trotted over to it and dug her phone out of her bag. She answered, "Hey B…yeah…working out…yeah…okay I'll be right over…bye."

Quinn had materialized next to her and was sipping out of her water bottle. She pulled out her phone and noticed a text from her mom. The blonde groaned.

"What?" Santana asked, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"My sister is having dinner with my mom tonight," Quinn answered.

Santana had hated Quinn's sister since before Quinn hated her. Even when they were little Santana knew Taylor was a bitch. "Do you need a ride somewhere else?"

"Yeah," Quinn picked up her bag and followed Santana to her car.

Santana didn't have to go very far out of her way to drop Quinn off. She actually didn't go out of her way at all. She parked in front of Brittany's house and Quinn walked to Rachel's front door.

After she knocked, Quinn rubbed her arms. Now that she wasn't running at a ridiculously frenzied pace, she was freezing.

Rachel's dad opened the door. He smiled at her, "Quinn, c'min, c'min. You must be freezing."

"It got really cold all of a sudden," she answered with a smile.

"I assume you came to see Rachel," he closed the door behind her.

The blonde nodded, "My mom's having dinner with my evil sister and said if I can't get along to not come home under after they were done."

Rachel's dad's smile faded then he replaced it with a fatherly smile, "You know you're always welcome here Quinn."

"Thanks," she nodded to him and took off in the direction of Rachel's room.

"Uh, Rachel's not feeling very well," he added, "But if you get hungry please come let us know and we'll take care of you."

Quinn was concerned when he said she wasn't feeling very well. She added, "Thanks Mr. Berry." Then she went straight to Rachel's door. She knocked quietly and waited for a 'c'min' before entering.

Rachel was surprised to see Quinn standing in her doorway looking disheveled and exhausted.

The blonde's eyes went to the floor, "I know I should have called but my mom said I have to be nice to my sister or stay away while they have dinner." Quinn's eyes slowly met Rachel's, "I don't think I can handle my sister right now."

Rachel nodded, not moving from her seated position on the bed, "I understand. You know you can come over whenever you want."

"No I should have called," Quinn replied and let her bag slide off of her arm and onto the ground. "Your dad said you didn't feel very well."

Rachel shrugged, "I guess not."

"Do you need anything?" Quinn asked, "I can go get you some soup or something."

The brunette shook her head, "No. You don't have to. I'm not hungry."

Quinn shifted her weight from one foot to the other, lingering near the door, "Do you need to sleep or something? I can go over to Brittany's house…"

Rachel looked Quinn over. Everything about her screamed anxious and nervous. Quinn also looked scared. Her eyes were questioning and Quinn fidgeted with the bottom of her shirt. Her legs were pink from the cold, dotted and streaked with mud and grass. Her hair was falling out of her ponytail and had been swept to the side and behind her ears in an effort to control it.

Rachel slowly rose from the bed and walked over to Quinn. She looked down at her hand as it went to Quinn's hand, slowly encasing it. Rachel could feel remnants of dirt on Quinn's hand.

She carefully pulled Quinn toward the bathroom like the blonde would break if she touched her too hard. Quinn watched as Rachel started the shower and got out a towel. She finally dropped Quinn's hand and they stood, just looking at each other for a few moments.

Quinn clenched her jaw as she felt that all too familiar sting behind her eyes. When Rachel looked at her like that, like no one in the world could love her more than she did in that second, it always got to Quinn. She could see the worry in Rachel's eyes and the questioning. But Quinn didn't have any answers. Quinn didn't know what she was doing any more than Rachel did.

Finally Rachel walked out of the bathroom, closing the door behind herself.

Quinn stripped and got into the shower, the warmth beating down on her sore muscles. She knew she would be lucky if she could move tomorrow. If she didn't have Cheerio practice, she would stay home from school.

Then Quinn got angry. She was angry with her mother for giving her an ultimatum. Why the hell couldn't her mom go over to Taylor's house? Taylor had a really nice house. One that Quinn certainly didn't live at. One that Quinn secretly stayed at for a few nights after her parents kicked her out. Jason managed to keep Taylor from knowing for almost a week, but when Taylor found out she flipped out.

Quinn refused to let herself cry and instead just focused on how sore her muscles were and how her friendship with Santana was mending. She focused on how she could now hang out with Brittany and how Rachel was acting.

When her shower was done, Quinn felt clean and a little better than before. She grabbed Rachel's bathrobe and slid it on before towel drying her hair. Then she hung up the towel and opened the door to Rachel's room.

Rachel was nowhere to be seen. Quinn walked into the room and looked around one last time, deciding that Rachel was definitely not there. She frowned and went over to the drawer of Rachel's dresser that housed whatever clothes Quinn left behind or ones that Rachel had borrowed. Quinn got out a tank top and some green knee length pajama pants.

After she changed, she put her hair up and grabbed her phone as she walked out the door. She made her way down the hallway and found Rachel's dads in the living room.

They smiled at her and Rachel's daddy spoke as he stood up, "Rachel told us she went to run an errand. She told us to make sure to feed you so if you'll follow me, we'll fix you up."

Quinn nodded and followed him into the kitchen with Rachel's dad walking in behind them. Quinn sat on a stood at the island in the middle of the kitchen. She quickly tapped out a text to Rachel before listening to the menu Rachel's dad was rattling off.

After she stalked from her car to the front door of the Fabray house, Rachel shook out her hair and rang the doorbell. Rachel plastered on a smile when Quinn's mom opened the front door. "Hi."

"Hi Rachel," she smiled back, "Quinn's not here right now."

"Oh?" Rachel quirked her head to the side, "Why not? I figured she would be. It's a school night."

"I'm having dinner with her sister and they don't get along."

Rachel feigned shock, "You kicked her out again?"

"No!" Judy's eyes widened, "I just asked her to go-"

"You told her not to come back? Does she not live here anymore? Do you know where she went?"

"I know it may seem…." Judy paused for a moment, "Excuse me." She left the door ajar and walked out of sight.

Rachel lingered at the door, listening. She heard Judy say something she couldn't hear before a voice she figured to be Taylor squealed; "But Mom I just started the sauce!"

Rachel heard Jason, "Your mom is right. Quinn lives here. We can't ask her to stay away, especially after what happened last year. She needs to know that she has somewhere permanent to live. We can just go out to eat."

Rachel grinned to herself and walked back out to her car. Her job was done here.

Quinn was sitting in the kitchen watching Rachel's dads move about the kitchen in a way that come with years of being together. She observed them with a smile until her phone rang on the counter. She looked down and saw her mother was calling.

"Excuse me," Quinn smiled at Rachel's dads and walked into the living room to answer.

A few minutes later she hung up her phone. Her mom had apologized for asking her to stay away before assuring her that it was her house and she was free to be there whenever she wanted. Her mom over emphasized that she loved her and her mom would never kick her out again. She assured her mom that she wasn't mad at her and that she'd be home after she ate dinner.

Quinn walked back into the kitchen and took her seat again just as the front door opened and closed. Rachel appeared in the kitchen with a large smile on her face.

"Where have you been?" her dad asked, knife still steadily chopping.

Rachel set a paper bag on the counter and shed her coat, "Tracking down this amazing sorbet that Quinn found."

Her daddy pulled her into a one armed hug as he was carrying a bowl to the sink, "You look like you feel better."

"I do," Rachel smiled and surveyed the food, "Let's eat."

Quinn loved Rachel's dads. They always made her laugh and tonight she definitely needed a laugh. Also when they made her laugh, they made Rachel laugh and the sight of Rachel laughing made Quinn feel warm all over. She noticed that Rachel always made sure she had something on her plate and her glass was always over halfway full. She also noticed that Rachel had avoided looking directly at her for more than a few seconds.

When they were all finished, Rachel insisted that she didn't help cook that she could clean up. Quinn ran to Rachel's room and retrieved her bag. When she got back to the kitchen, she sort of wished that Rachel's dads would go somewhere else so she could say a private goodbye to Rachel.

Instead they shared a brief hug and a shy smile before Quinn hugged Rachel's dads and left.

When Quinn walked in her front door, her mom stood from the couch like she was waiting for her. She walked over to Quinn and hugged her, while Quinn made a face until she let go.

"I love you Quinny," her mom looked at her, "How about I go put on My Fair Lady and we make some popcorn?"

The Cheerio nodded, "Sounds good. Just let me go put my stuff up." Quinn wondered how long her mom was going to try to make up for this.

Soon they were settled on the couch as the movie started. Her mom put her arm around Quinn and Quinn leaned slightly into her. She missed her mother/daughter time. They hadn't had much of in the past five years of her life.

Her mom kissed the top of her head, "I really am sorry for what I said earlier. I didn't realize how it sounded until your friend Rachel came over."

Quinn looked up at her mom, "Rachel came over?"

"Yes. She came over and asked where you were. I guess how she asked made me realize what I'd said," Judy smiled down at her daughter. "Next time I do something blonde like that let me know."

Quinn giggled, "Mom I'm blonde too."

Judy chuckled, "I know."

They both laughed until the Audrey Hepburn appeared on the screen. They settled into each other and watched the movie just like that had hundreds of times before.


	25. Chapter 25

"Are you okay?" Finn asked Rachel in their only class of the day they had together. The teacher had given them worksheets and was playing Texas Hold 'Em on his computer while they walked around and talked.

Rachel nodded, numbly. She was a little distracted because Quinn didn't come over last night. She didn't even text or call.

Finn ignored Rachel's answer and asked, "Is it like a guy problem?"

Rachel shook her head, "Although I appreciate your concern, I don't think it's something that you can help with."

"Try me," Finn shrugged, "What's the worst the could happen?"

Rachel took a deep breath, "You promise not to be hurt or mad when I tell you what's going on?"

"Promise," Finn told her and leaned on her table.

"For the sake of anonymity I'm going to name this person Z," Rachel told him. "Well I have really strong feelings for Z and Z keeps giving me the come here, go away treatment. I just don't know how much more of it I can take. I'm almost positive that Z feels the same way, but sh- Z's scared. I've tried my best to reassure Z, but I don't know if it's taking…I just don't know what to do."

"Sounds like he doesn't treat you very well," Finn commented.

Rachel could see a little jealousy glowing in Finn's eyes. She huffed, "I knew I shouldn't have told you."

"No," Finn pleaded, "I'm sorry. You just always told me that you'd never settle."

"I'm not settling," Rachel drew a heart on her paper, "I want Z. More than anything."

Finn looked a little heartbroken but replied, "You know what you used to say…when we were together? 'What would Barbra do?' I don't know much about her but I think she'd so something about it.

She paused, staring hard at her desk. Barbra wouldn't take this lying down. Liza would do something. Audrey Hepburn would demand action in a dignified way of course. "You're right. I have to do something. Something huge."

Rachel's phone vibrated in her backpack and she reached behind herself and pulled it out. She looked at her text. It was from a number she didn't recognize, but it unnerved her a little. You need to not pressure 'Z' into anything. Z's thinking about her rep and her mom.

Rachel looked around the classroom and saw Santana sitting in the back. When Santana saw her looking she raised her eyebrows, in a threatening fashion. Her phone vibrated with another text. BTW Man-Hands you talk hella loud.

Rachel turned forward in her seat again and texted Santana back. I know that. I just want her to decide what she wants.

"Who are you texting?" Finn asked.

Rachel shook her head, "No one."

"Is it Z?" he asked.

"Definitely not," Rachel looked down at her phone that hadn't vibrated again. She turned around and looked at Santana who was apparently doing the their class work. She sighed and turned back around. "I have to do something."

Rachel was almost the rest of the way through her day and she found herself zoning out again. She was trying to think of a way to get Quinn to trust her or to at least help her decide what she wanted. She even zoned out so bad that she didn't hear the bell ring at the end of Spanish.

"Is something wrong, Rachel?" Mr. Schue walked over to her and sat in the desk in front of her.

"It's nothing," Rachel sighed.

Mr. Schue added, "You've been really out of it lately."

Rachel looked down at the desk and started gathering her things. "I know. I'm sorry."

"Anything you want to talk about?" he asked.

Rachel sighed, "No one really prepares you for these…feelings…" She added after Mr. Schue's eyes grew wide with panic, "Not sexual feelings…just feelings. They're overwhelming."

He nodded understandingly, "Why don't you come to the auditorium during study hall and sing it out?"

"My study hall is right now and right before glee."

He smiled, "Perfect. Then you'll be all warmed up."

She nodded. It couldn't hurt. She followed him to the auditorium and he turned on the microphone and alerted Brad. It wasn't hard to pick a song. Rachel placed the microphone on the stand and stood behind it.

Just too unreal, all this  
Watching the words fall from my lips  
Baiting some girl with hypotheses  
Haven't you heard the word of your body?

As Quinn was walked down the hallway with her hall pass swinging in her hand, she heard singing. Not just any singing. The voice was a siren, calling her to the auditorium. She opened the door and snuck into the back. She could see Rachel in the center stage behind a microphone stand.

Don't feel a thing, you wish  
Grasping at pearls with my fingertips

Holding her hand like some little tease  
Haven't you heard the word of my wanting?

Quinn couldn't rip her eyes away from Rachel as she sang. The song and how Rachel sang it made Quinn weak in the knees. She leaned back on the back wall and felt goose bumps encase her arms and legs.

O, I'm gonna be wounded  
O, I'm gonna be your wound  
O, I'm gonna bruise you  
O, you're gonna be my bruise

Just too unreal, all this…  
Watching his world slip through my fist  
Playing with her in your fantasies  
Haven't you heard the word – how I want you?

The blonde closed her eyes to absorb the song as best she could. She wanted to make all the negative feelings in Rachel's voice go away. She wanted Rachel to sing those stupid Celine Dion songs again about love and being in love again. She slowly opened her eyes and saw the light make Rachel's hair shine and her eyes shimmer. Quinn bit her lip and tapped the hall pass on her leg.

O, I'm gonna be wounded  
O, I'm gonna be your wound  
O, I'm gonna bruise you  
O, you're gonna be my bruise

Rachel looked out onto the audience as she belted out the last note. The song wasn't written like that, she just need the release.

When the note ended she took a moment to catch her breath. Light in the back of the auditorium caught her eye. She watched as the back door closed. Whoever was there, got quite a subdued show. If she had known someone was going to watch, she would have put on more of a show.

She took one last look over her imaginary audience, Rachel walked off of the stage.

Rachel meddled around in the choir room until glee started, straightening chairs, sorting sheet music, and stacking CDs. When she bell rang she was relieved that she wouldn't be alone with her thoughts anymore. She walked over to a chair in the front and sat down in it, crossing her legs and patiently waiting for the rest of her teammates.

Brittany and Santana were the first to arrive, pinkie in pinkie. Santana shot Rachel a warning look before taking her place with Brittany in the back. Rachel set her jaw. She was slightly offended that Santana thought that Rachel didn't care out Quinn or her reputation.

Everyone else walked in, chattering about one thing or another. Everyone except the one person that Rachel had been waiting all day to see. Her eyes were trained on the clock as the minutes ticked by and Quinn hadn't walked through the door.

Finally Mr. Schue walked in and smiled at the group, "Alright guys, let's get started."

The practice went by uneventfully, mostly because Mr. Schue gave the solo to Rachel who decided that the more she sang the better off she'd be. The more she moved, the less time she'd have to think.

When their contemporary mash-up was over, Rachel was smiling again. She loved glee. It was the perfect outlet for the teenage frustrations. She even shared a fleeting smile with Santana. So Rachel walked out of glee with a smile on her face and a song in her head.

She pulled out her phone to ask her dad if they needed anything at home, when she found a text. She quickly opened the text from Quinn. Can you come over tonight at like eight?

Rachel replied as fast as her fingers could type. The problem now was finding something to do for three hours.

Rachel went home and went straight to her room. She changed and got onto the elliptical machine, thinking that she may be able to burn of some of the excitement. However after half an hour on the machine, she practically bounced to the shower. Then she took her time blow drying and straightening her hair, which ate up a fair amount of time.

Her daddy called her for dinner with an hour left before she would speed over to Quinn's. It had been forty-eight hours since she'd been alone with the blonde and she was itching to get in some quality time.

Rachel tried to take her time in eating dinner. She'd cut up her food into little pieces and chatter with her dads about her day and glee.

Finally, the time came for her to go to Quinn's house. It was getting dark outside when she hugged her dads and told them where she was going. They told her to say hi to Quinn for them.

When Rachel pulled up to Quinn's house, she looked up at the window to Quinn's room. It was dark. Then she looked at the rest of the house. It looked like most of the lights were off on the inside as well. She furrowed her eyebrows, wondering if Quinn forgot about her coming over. But Quinn's car was in the driveway so Rachel walked up to the front door anyway and knocked.

The door opened almost immediately. Quinn was standing there in one of her signature white baby doll dresses. Before she met Quinn, Rachel was convinced that no one could ever pull off pure white. Quinn proved her very wrong. Quinn's hair was freely brushing around her shoulders and her eyes looked lighter than Rachel ever remembered.

Quinn let out a dazzling smile and ran a hand through her hair. "Hi."

"Hi," Rachel couldn't help, but smile back. Quinn hadn't looked that happy in a long time.

Quinn grabbed Rachel and pulled her inside, closing the door behind them. Rachel could hear soft music floating around and saw that all the lights in the house were dimmed. There were candles lit everywhere, illuminating the room in a golden glow.

Rachel turned to Quinn who just smiled at her and led the way to the couch. They both sat down and Quinn turned toward Rachel her hands in her lap.

"What's going on Quinn?" Rachel asked, still a little stunned at the way the house was. She immediately felt as ease sitting down on the couch in the euphoric glow with the music loosening her muscles. She kicked off her shoes and tucked her legs under herself.

The blonde took a long, deep breath, "I- um- Santana told me what you and Finn were talking about today."

"Oh," Rachel sighed, her good mood starting to slip away.

Quinn slid her hand under Rachel's and tried to catch Rachel's eyes, "Is that how you really feel?"

Rachel nodded guiltily. She looked at Quinn's hand, gently holding hers.

Quinn licked her lips and asked, "Do you really want me? The whole crazy mess?"

"Of course," the brunette chuckled.

The Cheerio smiled before it faded out and she was serious again. "Do you…love me?"

Rachel held Quinn's eyes and bobbed her head confidently. She wanted Quinn to know she was sure. She wanted her to know that she had no reservations about putting her heart out there.

Quinn let out a sad smile. "I know I've been super bi-polar or maybe even tri-polar to you, but I was just…I was confused. I still kinda am. I've never wanted to be around anyone as much as I wanted to be with you. I don't really understand everything I'm feeling, but…" Quinn paused. She smiled and ducked her head, "I totally had this whole speech memorized, but now I can't remember the rest of it."

Rachel giggled and ran her fingers through the blonde hair shielding Quinn's face, "That's okay. I can wait for you to go get your note cards."

Quinn laughed and looked up at Rachel. They sat there just looking at each other for a few seconds before the blonde continued, "I love you."

Rachel's eyes looked like they were ready to bulge out of their sockets. Although she had heard Quinn she asked, "What?"

"I love you," Quinn told her giving Rachel's hand a gentle squeeze. "I think I have for a while, it just took me a little while to figure out exactly what it was."

A hundred watt smile made it's way onto Rachel's face. She glanced over her shoulder for any sign of Quinn's mom because she really wanted to kiss Quinn.

"My mom's gone for the next two days," Quinn grinned, "Someone bribed the new co-captain of the Cheerios to send my mom to a spa in the Adirondacks."

"New co-captain?" Rachel asked with a thoughtful frown.

"Santana flashed some plastic and my mom was gone," Quinn smirked.

"You let her become co-captain so your mom would leave us alone?" Rachel asked, still in disbelief.

Quinn shrugged, "It's already worth it."

Rachel practically launched herself onto Quinn, kissing her hard against the couch cushions under them. Quinn giggled out of the kiss and took Rachel's face in her hands gently stroking her cheeks. Then she lowered Rachel's face to hers and tenderly kissed her.

Before hands started wanting to explore, Quinn pulled away. "There's something else I wanted to show you."

"Show me?" Rachel asked with a cheeky grin.

"It's not me," Quinn kissed Rachel's cheek and pulled her off of the couch.

They walked up the stairs and Rachel noticed that they were walking on assorted flower pedals. She looked at Quinn who was looking on with a nervous smile. Rachel looked down at the pedal trail that ended at Quinn's closed bedroom door.

"Close your eyes," Quinn instructed and moved behind Rachel. She placed her hands on Rachel's hips and waited until Rachel closed her eyes.

Rachel felt Quinn reach around her, presumably to open the door, and then Quinn gently pushed her into the bedroom. They took a few more steps in before Quinn whispered to Rachel, "Open your eyes."

When the shorter girl took her hands away from her face, she saw that Quinn's bed had been made and then neatly turned down. She took in all the flower pedals that were all over the floor of the room and the candles that were lit on every surface. She turned around and looked at Quinn whose eyes were twinkling in the candlelight.

"This is going to sound really stupid," Quinn suddenly lost all self-confidence and dropped her gaze, focusing on a light pink pedal near the foot of the bed, "But I was thinking that, if I made this romantic that it would make up for your first time. Like this could be your new first time."

Rachel let Quinn's words sink in before throwing her arms around her. "This is the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me."

Quinn finally let out a smile, "You don't think it's corny?"

"It's incredibly sweet," Rachel tilted her head up and her lips found Quinn's.

Rachel backed up to the bed and pulled Quinn with her. When the back of her legs hit the bed, Rachel sat down pulling Quinn down. The Cheerio managed to get her knees on either side of Rachel before she fell on the smaller girl.

The wind picked up outside, creating a whirling noise against the windows. It almost downed out the music that was wafting around, but neither girl noticed. They were in their own world.

Rachel placed her hands on Quinn's waist, worried that she'd fall backwards. The blonde smiled at the gesture and pulled away to look into Rachel's eyes. She gently stroked Rachel's hair before kissing her again, this time pushing her onto her back.

They somehow shimmied up to the pillows at the head of the bed. After a few minutes of gentle, passionate kissing, Rachel flipped them over so that Quinn was under her. The cheerleader tensed when that happened. Quinn pulled away again and searched Rachel's face. All she found was love and adoration and that was more than enough for her. She relaxed back onto the bed and let Rachel take control.

A few hours later when they were both naked and cuddled together, Quinn was glad she let Rachel do what she wanted to do. They'd both reached new heights that night.

Rachel snuggled as deeply into Quinn as she could and let out a content sigh, "That was the best first time ever."

Quinn giggled and kissed Rachel. She loved that every time she kissed Rachel it felt like the first time. "I'm glad you approve."

Rachel propped her head up with her elbow and looked down at Quinn, "Was that better than your first time?"

"A million times better," Quinn rubbed Rachel's side through the blankets that covered them both.

A shrill ring interrupted the moment. Rachel recognized it as her ring tone. She leaned over the side of the bed and dug her phone out of the mess of clothes on the ground. When she saw it was her dad she was disappointed. He was probably going to tell her it was time to go home and she wanted to stay here with Quinn forever.

She pressed the answer button and laid back down next to Quinn, "Hi dad."

"Hi sweetheart," he answered, "I don't know if you've noticed, but there's a huge snow storm that just blew through."

"No way," Rachel picked up and blanket with her as she walked over to the window. She moved the curtain to the side and saw that there was a blanket of white snow on the ground and it was rapidly falling from the sky. She felt Quinn walked up behind her and looked out the window over her shoulder.

"Yeah," her dad spoke in her ear, "Is there anyway you can stay with Quinn tonight? We really don't want you driving in this weather."

"Hold on let me ask," Rachel grinned and looked back at Quinn, "My dad wants to know if it's okay if I spend the night."

Quinn pretended to think about it for a moment before Rachel nudged the blonde with her shoulder. "Of course," Quinn dropped a kiss on Rachel's shoulder.

"Yeah it's okay if I stay here," Rachel told her dad.

"Good," he told her, "Make sure to get up in time for school tomorrow. You'll probably have a snow day but make sure before you sleep in."

"Okay dad," Rachel grinned.

"We love you honey and if you need anything let us know," he told her.

"I love you too," Rachel said and turned toward Quinn, "Bye."

"Bye," he said and hung up.

Rachel tossed her phone back into the mess of clothes on the ground, "Looks like it's just you and me stuck in this snow storm."

Quinn wrapped her arms around Rachel and pulled her close, "Gee I hope we can think of something to do."

Rachel pulled away enough to kiss Quinn before they both started giggling. They both ran for the bed and jumped onto it tumbling into each other.


	26. Chapter 26

"Snow day!" Quinn ran into her bedroom and jumped on the bed where Rachel was still sleeping.

Rachel giggled and put a pillow over her head, "Really?"

"Well half snow day," the blonde amended her previous statement. "We have to go to school at noon."

The shorter girl rolled over, "What time is it?"

"Time to get up sleepyhead," Quinn pulled the pillow off of Rachel and started showering her face with kisses.

"Why?" Rachel whined, but smile and placed her hands on Quinn's back.

"Because Brittany called me at six thirty just to tell me that it's snowing," Quinn giggled, "And we're going to go outside and pretend like we're Brittany and love the snow just because it's there."

The brunette rubbed her eyes, "Can we eat first? I have trouble frolicking on an empty stomach."

Quinn laughed and tickled Rachel until she was squirming away from her. "Fine. I guess I can feed you."

They walked down the stairs together and Rachel fell onto the couch. She picked up the remote and turned the TV on. Quinn took the remote from Rachel and stated, "We're supposed to be eating."

"You said you would feed me," Rachel looked up at Quinn as the blonde plopped own next to her. Rachel moved her head into Quinn's lap.

Quinn placed her hand on Rachel's stomach, gently rubbing the area under her hand. "I will. You just have to tell me what you want."

"I don't care," Rachel stilling Quinn's hand with her own and threading their fingers together. "Whatever is easiest. I can make something if you want."

"No I'll get it," Quinn insisted, "I just-"

"West Side Story!" Rachel squealed as Quinn was scrolling through the programming guide.

Quinn lulled her head back on her couch, "Don't you watch that all the time?"

"There's a reason," Rachel smirked, "It's amazing."

Quinn turned it to the movie and got up from the couch, "I'm going to go see what there is in the kitchen."

Rachel didn't hear her. She'd already been lost in the movie. Quinn just shook her head and went to the kitchen. She rooted through the pantry and the refrigerator before decided that no they didn't have anything decent to eat.

When she walked back into the living room she heard Rachel sigh, "I am so in love with Natalie Wood."

Quinn cleared her throat behind the couch and Rachel turned around with a sly grin, "But I'm so in love with you more?"

The Cheerio chuckled, "Good save." She leaned on the back of the couch, "We don't have anything to eat."

"Oh no," Rachel half-heartedly said, her eyes making their way back to the TV.

The blonde looked Rachel over before going upstairs. She quickly put on some warm clothes and went back downstairs were Rachel was still lost in the world of Sharks and Jets.

A few seconds later, Rachel felt something cold and wet hit her in the face. She flew off of the couch and shrieked, "Quinn!" Her hands were pawing the snow off of her face while she look in disbelief at Quinn who was doubled over laughing. Rachel was doing her best to glare at Quinn, but it was difficult watching her laugh so hard she was struggling to stand.

Rachel crossed her arms and put on her best scowl, "It's not funny."

Quinn walked over to Rachel and slid her arms around the shorter girl's waist. She kept her hold loose because Rachel was still pouting with her arms crossed. Quinn smirked, "I had to get your attention."

"You could have poked me or something," Rachel mumbled.

Quinn giggled, "That would not have worked. I don't want to have to compete for your attention with Natalie Woods."

"Wood," Rachel corrected.

The blonde rolled her eyes, "I, unlike Natalie Wood, am trying to find you something to eat. I'm going to have to start requesting more vegan food from my mom."

Rachel finally dropped her arms and looked up at Quinn, "You don't have to. We can just walk to that bodega a few blocks away."

"Bodega?" Quinn asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"That's what they call them in New York City," Rachel grinned, "I have to get the lingo down before I take Broadway by storm."

Quinn giggled, "Oh okay. Well, we can go down to the bodega and get something for breakfast."

Rachel looked up at Quinn, "It's not fair that I can't stay mad at you."

"I like it though," Quinn pecked Rachel on the lips before pulling her back up the stairs to get her dressed.

The walked outside arm in arm as the snow continued to flurry around them. As they turned on the corner of the block Quinn froze. Rachel stopped when her arm stopped with Quinn. "What's wrong?"

Quinn smiled and slipped out of Rachel's arm, taking her hand and pulling her behind a tree.

"What?" Rachel asked again.

The blonde smiled slyly, "I saw Brittany and Santana."

"What are we hiding?" Rachel asked.

Quinn dipped down and scooped up some snow. She packed it tightly into a ball.

Rachel's eyes went wide, "Santana will murder you. I don't look good in black." She peeked around the tree and saw Santana and Brittany pinkie in pinkie walking down the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street.

"I think I'll be okay," Quinn looked across the street at the two Cheerios who were oblivious. She hurled the snowball before ducking back behind the tree. They both hide behind the tree and peeked across the street. They saw Santana looked around and dusting the snow off of her Cheerio letter jacket.

Brittany caught them peeking out from behind the tree. She smiled and poked Santana then pointed to the two mischievous girls looking from behind a tree.

"Fabray!" Santana called, but wore a slight smirk. She scooped up some snow and started to make her way across the street. "Berry!"

With a quick glance at each other, Rachel and Quinn took off running. Santana took off running after them. Quinn stepped down into the street, which had yet to see a snowplow, and ran down the middle drawing Santana into the street as well.

Rachel hid behind a car near the curb, watching Quinn and Santana face off from the safety of her hiding place. Quinn managed to get a shot off at Santana before the brunette threw the a huge chunk of snow at Quinn, nailing her in the head.

"Rach?" Brittany's innocent voice asked.

Rachel turned to see Brittany standing next to her with a snowball in her hand. The blonde tossed it at Rachel, but all of her years of dodging slushies had made her more agile so she dodged the snowball. However Brittany was prepared and nailed Rachel with a spare.

Rachel laughed and picked up some snow, but instead of throwing it at Brittany she grinned at the blonde and looked over at Santana and Quinn who were both ducked behind trees, throwing snowballs at each other. Brittany got the hit and picked up another one. The both threw the snowballs. Brittany's hit Santana in the arm while Rachel's splattered on the tree in front of Quinn.

That ignited a whole new snowball war. Santana ran toward Brittany and tackled her into a snow bank. Brittany laughed and tried to squirm out of Santana's grip.

Rachel had managed to slip away from Quinn and hide. She could see Quinn from her hiding place and as soon as Quinn walked past she grabbed a handful of snow and the collar of Quinn's shirt. She shoved the snow down Quinn's shirt and took off running in the opposite direction.

"Ah!" Quinn yelled and tried to shake the snow out of her shirt. Then she saw Rachel running away. She took off running after her, easily catching up. She grabbed Rachel's wrist and spun her around. She stumbled backwards and her back hit a tree. Quinn pressed against Rachel who was caught between Quinn and the tree.

"Uh," the close proximity to Quinn was making it difficult for Rachel to think. "I uh- we should um…"

Quinn quickly kissed Rachel's cheek and pulled away. She took Rachel's hand and pulled her away from the tree.

They walked over to Santana and Brittany who were making out in the snow. Quinn cleared her throat and Santana reluctantly ripped away from Brittany. "We're going to get some food and then we're going back to my house for breakfast. Wanna come?"

Santana differed to Brittany who nodded.

They all went to the small market down the street. Brittany and Quinn set off to cooking breakfast while Rachel and Santana sat uncomfortably in the living room. The TV was on but neither one was really watching it.

"Look," Santana finally said, "Q is my girl. We've been friends since kindergarten. She's the reason I'm a Cheerio. No matter what goes down between us, she's still my girl. So whatever you're doing with her, you better damn well make sure you never, ever hurt her. Or you will be hurting. A lot. Got it?"

Rachel eyed Santana and curled into her side of the couch, trying to get as far away from Santana as possible, "Got it." After a few seconds, Rachel asked, "How are things with you and Brittany?"

Santana furrowed her eyebrows, "Why do you care?"

"You were making out in the snow bank," Rachel shrugged, "I thought I'd ask."

"We're fine. We're always fine," Santana let out with a sigh. She turned her head, "What about you and Q? What about school and stuff?"

"I don't know," Rachel ran her finger down the seam of her jacket, "It's up to her. Her social status as co-head Cheerio means she's the one that has something to lose."

Santana grinned at the mention that Quinn was now a co-head Cheerio. That felt good and all it cost her was half a month's allowance. She nodded, "You're right to let her decide."

Rachel was about to answer that when Brittany bounced into the room with breakfast in hand. Quinn wasn't far behind. She smiled at Rachel and handed a plate over to her. Rachel smiled back up at her.

It didn't take long for them to scarf down their food. For teenage girls they could put the food away.

"So," Quinn survey the girls in her living room. She smiled and sat next to Rachel, wrapping her arms around the shorter girl, "Anyone have any ideas for what to do until noon?"

Brittany whispered in Santana's ear and the co-head Cheerio smiled.

"What?" Rachel asked, feeling a little left out.

Santana smirked, "It's nothing."

"Ew gross," Quinn feigned disgust, "Can you two manage to keep it PG-13 for a few hours?"

"As long as you can," Santana replied.

Brittany's eyes lit up because her mind was not on Quinn and Santana. She looked at Quinn, "Remember when we were little and it would snow outside? We'd play outside and then my mom would make us cocoa and we'd build a tent."

Quinn laughed, "Do you want to make a tent B?"

The Cheerio nodded.

Santana would have made a snarky comment had Brittany not been the one to suggest it. Instead she stood up, "Linen closet in the same place Q?"

Quinn nodded. She kissed Rachel's cheek before sliding off of the couch.

Brittany was the only one that seemed to notice Rachel's slight emotional falter. The blonde sat down next to Rachel and asked, "What's wrong?"

Rachel shrugged, "I guess it's just that…I've never really done stuff like this before. I was always too mature for my peers and I've been high maintenance since birth. Most of my childhood was spent alone in my room watching 1940s musicals."

Brittany hugged Rachel, "We can totally do all the things that me and Quinn and Santana used to do. Some times me and Santana still do some of them. I mean last week we totally played doctor for like three hours and-"

"Brit!" Santana squealed as she returned with an armful of blankets, "Rachel doesn't need to know that."

Rachel looked up at Santana with wide eyes.

"What?" the Cheerio dumped the blankets onto the armchair.

"You call me Rachel," Rachel grinned, "I didn't think you actually knew my name."

Santana rolled her eyes, "Don't get used to it."

When Quinn returned, the blankets started to go up. It didn't take long before they had pretty much turned the entire living room into a tent city.

"Well," Rachel looked at the three Cheerios once they were all inside the tent, "Now what?"

Quinn looked at Santana who shrugged. Then they all turned to Brittany. The blonde thought for a moment then added, "Truth or dare."

"Not if I'm not drunk," Santana answered.

"You can't go to school drunk," Brittany stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Quinn looked at her phone, "We only have like two hours before we need to get going so how about a movie?"

That ignited an argument over what to watch. After they argued for a few minutes, Brittany finally got her way. Rachel decided that she needed to figure out that pouting thing that Brittany did, making everyone cave.

After the swashbuckling tale of Peter Pan was played out for them, Brittany and Santana left to get Santana's car. The snow on the streets had melted and there was now the occasional car going by.

"Well," Rachel looked at Quinn who was gathering her things for school; "I guess I'll see you at school."

Quinn nodded and kissed Rachel eliciting a smile from the shorter girl. "Be careful."

"You too," Rachel twirled her keys around her finger.

"Love you," the blonde grinned and kissed Rachel again.

"I love you too," Rachel echoed and sighed into Quinn's arm. Then she pulled back and nodded, "So…"

"I'll be right behind you," Quinn chuckled at Rachel's stalling tactics. "I would totally ride with you, but I have Cheerio practice and you do not want to wait for that to be over. Coach gets mad when it snows and makes us practice longer."

"Okay," Rachel nodded. She opened the front door and Quinn followed her, locking up the house as Rachel carefully walked to her car.

What Rachel was really stalling for was Quinn's opinion on how they should handle school, but it seemed that the blonde's mind was not on that. Rachel paused with her hand on the door handle of her car. She looked up and saw Quinn looking thoughtfully at her. When Quinn saw Rachel looking at her, she smiled and blew her a kiss before sliding into her car.

Rachel grinned and got into her car. She guess she'd know how Quinn wanted to handle it soon enough.


	27. Chapter 27

Rachel walked down the hallway humming one of the many Broadway tunes she loved. She'd had a great start to her day and since her math and history classes had been skipped, it was even better. She had just gotten out of her Chemistry class where the teacher had played a movie so she didn't have to catch the other classes up.

As she passed Finn in the hallway, he smiled at her and hitched his chin. She smiled back and nodded. Puck actually acknowledged her existence. He even let out a wolf whistle when she strode past him.

She giggled and turned to look at him over her shoulder. He gave her a wink before a Cheerio walked up to him, stealing his attention. When she turned around she saw Mercedes. She pointed at her, moving her finger from Rachel's head to her shoes and gave her a thumbs up.

Rachel was convinced that there was no way that this day could go bad. The guys were being nice to her. Mercedes liked her outfit. Quinn had confessed her love last night and this morning. Brittany and Santana hung out with them this morning, having fun like they were all little girls again.

The only thing that could make it better was if she had seen Quinn since they got to school. They were running a little late so they walked in together, but had to split ways at the front doors to run to class.

As she turned the corner, she was so deep into her head that she didn't see Quinn standing with Brittany and Santana at Brittany and Santana's shared locker. She also didn't see two generic Cheerios walking intently toward her, each with a different colored slushy in their hands.

Quinn saw Rachel the second she turned the corner. Rachel looked pleasantly preoccupied, causing a smile to drift to Quinn's lips. It quickly faded when she saw some freshmen Cheerios walking intently down the hallway. Before she could do anything, she watched as the freshmen tossed their slushies onto Rachel. The singer dropped her books on the floor at the shock of the cold and wiped the drink out of her eyes.

Santana saw what happened and before she could grab Quinn, the blonde was stalking down the hallway. She and Brittany ran after Quinn.

"Hey!" Quinn called after the Cheerios.

The two girls turned around and cowered when she saw that co-head cheerleader staring them down. Quinn completely passed Rachel and stopped right in front of the girls.

"Um-Hi Quinn," one of them chanced.

"What the hell was that?" Quinn demanded.

The one that had spoken before replied, "We slushied a nerd. I-I thought that-Did you see what she was wearing yesterday? And her hair-"

A fiery rage burned in Quinn's eyes. The incredibly dense Cheerio was extremely lucky that Santana managed to get to Quinn, mid-pounce and pulled her back.

"Let me go," Quinn demanded and tried to wriggle away from Santana.

Santana managed to get a good hold of her and turned back to Brittany, "Take Rachel to the locker room." Brittany picked up Rachel's books and ushered Rachel away, pausing just a moment to put Rachel's books into hers and Santana's locker.

Santana then turned to the two Cheerios. "You two better get the fuck out of here before I let her go because you're both too fucking stupid to run when you had the chance."

Both girls turned around and sprinted off as fast as they could. Quinn was still trying to get away.

"Breathe Q," Santana told her and loosened her hold.

The blonde finally broke away, "Let go. I have to get to Rachel."

"Quinn," Santana grabbed Quinn's arm and added, "She's been slushied before. Brittany is helping her. She's okay. I need to know that I can let you go and you won't go all psycho on those idiot freshmen."

"I won't," Quinn yanked her arm away from Santana.

The head Cheerios walked down the hallway and into the Cheerio locker room. There they found Brittany and Rachel standing in front of one of the sinks diligently brushing the concoction into the sink. Brittany mused to herself, "I thought a blue slushy and a red slushy would make a purple slushy."

"Are you okay?" Quinn asked as soon as Rachel's eyes met hers.

Rachel nodded, "I'm fine. This happens to me like twice a week."

Quinn put her hand on Brittany's arm as the dancer was running her fingers through Rachel's hair, "I got it."

Brittany looked at Quinn then at Santana. The co-head Cheerio took Brittany's hand, "C'mon B. We're going to be late."

Quinn looked back at Santana and they shared a small, acknowledgement nod before Santana and Brittany disappeared out the door.

Quinn walked off into the depths of the locker room. Rachel heard a locker open and close. Then Quinn returned with a red plastic chair and small bag. She placed the chair in front of the sink and the bag on the sink next to them.

"Sit down," Quinn instructed.

Rachel complied without comment because Quinn was being eerily thoughtful. After Quinn had rinsed out Rachel's hair and started applying the shampoo from the bag, Quinn quietly told Rachel, "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Rachel shrugged.

Quinn took a deep breath, "That's not what I was saying sorry for." She gently started to rinse Rachel's hair. She turned back to her bag and got out the conditioner. She worked the conditioner into her hair and added, "I'm sorry for all the times I slushied you or I laughed when someone slushied you. I was a really horrible person to you."

Rachel reached up and placed a reassuring hand on Quinn's forearm, "Well you're not now and that's what matters."

"How come you never did anything back to me?" Quinn asked, tenderly rinsing out Rachel's hair again.

Rachel was quiet as Quinn turned off the water and wrapped up Rachel's hair. Quinn picked up one of the wall mounted hair dryers, but didn't start it. She wanted to know Rachel's answer.

"I think at first it was because I thought that someday I would be fabulously rich and famous and you and Santana would beg to be my personal assistants so I could send you on ridiculous errands for me," Rachel explained, embellishing a little so Quinn would lighten up. It worked and Quinn let out a small smile. Rachel continued as she towel dried her hair, "Then I think I saw something in you that made me…wonder about you."

"What do you mean?" Quinn leaned back on the sink behind her.

"I mean that I think I saw a crack in that head bitch in charge persona," Rachel held Quinn's eyes as she explained. "I wanted to know what was behind it so I watched you from afar, which became easier when you joined glee. Then I found out that you were actually a human."

Quinn chuckled and took the towel from Rachel. She handed off the blow dryer and went back to her Cheerio locker.

Rachel turned on the dryer and started trying to get her hair back to hit's normal state. She took her time smoothing out her hair and making sure that all of it was dry. It took a good ten minutes to finally get it back in order. In that time, Quinn had yet to come back from her locker so when she was done. So she put the dryer back up and walked toward the back of the locker room.

She was a little nervous, never having been in the Cheerio locker room before. She looked at the rows and rows of lockers and the showers on the other side of the room. Finally she found Quinn sitting on a bench in front of her locker, staring thoughtfully into it.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked, walking over to Quinn and sitting next to her.

The blonde forced a smile and nodded, "Yeah. I just came to get you something else to wear." She gestured to her open locker.

Rachel found that Cheerio's lockers were twice the size of normal lockers and Quinn had a small clothes rack hanging in her locker. Rachel walked over to the locker and started going through it. She added as she pulled out a shirt and examined it before putting it back, "You know, I never hated you."

Quinn looked down at her hands and let out, "I hated you."

Rachel turned around and looked at Quinn, slightly hurt.

The blonde took Rachel's hand and pulled her down on the bench next to her, "I hated you because you weren't scared to be who you were. You were proud of who you were and you never pretended to be someone else. You're so…free." Quinn rested her head on Rachel's shoulder, "I was so caught up in being better than Taylor and trying to be the perfect daughter/Cheerio/girlfriend combo that I never figured out who I was. That's why I was mean to you. I was jealous."

Rachel wrapped her arms around Quinn's waist and kiss the top of her head, "I understand and I still love you."

Quinn closed her eyes and felt let the warmth of Rachel encase her. She let herself relax for a few minutes, just memorizing what it felt like to be cared about.

Finally Rachel spoke, "As much as I'd love to sit here with you, we eventually have to go to class."

"Oh," Quinn smiled and sat up out of Rachel's embrace, "I totally forgot." She stood and walked over to her locker. After a few seconds, she picked one out and handed it to Rachel.

Rachel shed her slushied shirt and pulled on the fresh one Quinn gave her. Quinn took the dirty shirt and threw it into the bottom of her locker.

Rachel picked up a headband in Quinn's locker and slid it on, "How do I look?"

"Beautiful," Quinn couldn't help, but smile.

The brunette took the headband off, deciding that Quinn was probably just being nice because she'd never been able to pull off headbands before. She spotted the bag from earlier that contained Quinn's shampoo and conditioner. Rachel pulled the shampoo out and examined the contents.

Rachel looked up at Quinn, "No animal testing. I approve."

"I know," Quinn smiled sweetly back at Rachel.

"You bought this because it wasn't tested on animals?" Rachel asked.

"Well that and it smells awesome," the blonde took a step closer to Rachel, "But mostly because you'd approve." She took the shampoo from Rachel and looked it over before putting it back, grabbing her backpack, and closing her locker.

When she looked back at Rachel, the shorter girl surprised her with a kiss. Quinn was quick to reciprocate and Rachel soon found herself with her back pressed to the lockers and her front pressed to Quinn.

"Mmm Quinn?" Rachel mumbled against Quinn's lips.

"Yeah class, I know," Quinn reluctantly pulled away. She gave Rachel one last peck before taking her hand; "C'mon I'll walk you to class."

They walked to the door of the Cheerio locker room and Quinn pushed it open, pulling Rachel out with her. Rachel was immediately surprised that the second they stepped out of the privacy of the locker room that she didn't drop her hand.

Instead she and Quinn continued down the empty hallways until they were in front of Rachel's class.

"I don't have any of my stuff," Rachel told Quinn.

The blonde peered through the window of the classroom, "Is your heart set on going to Spanish or do you want to go back to my house and play in the tent?"

"Don't you have Cheerio practice?" Rachel asked.

"I can come back right before it starts," Quinn shifted her weight from one foot to the other, effectively swaying her Cheerio skirt. She saw Rachel's eyes go right to the bottom of her skirt and smirked. Bingo.

"Are you sure you don't need to-" Rachel mumbled out before snapping out of her trance, "Quinn Fabray you were trying to use your amazing body to get me to skip school."

"It was working too," Quinn grinned at Rachel. She shrugged, "Fine. I'll just go home by myself to my big empty house and think about you in your-"

"Quinn!" Rachel squealed, "We're at school."

Quinn chucked, "Okay fine. We'll stay here." She leaned close to Rachel and asked, "Can I go down your rabbit hole?"

Rachel's eyes grew the side of saucers. Quinn was pretty sure Rachel had a small coronary.

The blonde laughed, "I meant do you want to go to your little hiding place in the auditorium. What did you think I meant perv?"

Rachel finally broke out in a smile, "You did it on purpose." But she led the way to her hiding place anyway.

It wasn't long before they were laying on the cheerleading stunt pad and staring at the underside of the stage.

"So when are you heading to New York?" Quinn asked as Rachel lay next to her, tracing lazy circles on her uniform clad stomach.

"The second I graduate," Rachel replied, "I'm auditioning for Julliard, NYU, and Columbia next year."

Quinn took a deep breath, "Wow. I thought I had my future planned out, but I haven't gotten past senior year."

"What do you want to do?" Rachel asked, watching Quinn's face. She smiled at the thoughtful way Quinn's nose wrinkled the slightest bit when she thought hard.

"I don't know," Quinn shrugged, "Maybe art or photography."

"Art?" Rachel a little surprised.

Quinn nodded, "I guess it's been a secret love of mine," She smiled softly at Rachel, "I've never really told anyone about it."

"Can I see some sometime?" Rachel asked tentatively.

Quinn paused before nodding, "If you promise to give me your honest opinion."

"Cross my heart," Rachel grinned. She kissed Quinn sweetly, which was soon turned into a heated kiss.

Just as Quinn's hand was starting to sneak under Rachel's shirt the trap door flew open and a shriek sounded through the whole auditorium. The girls flew apart and looked up at the new theatre director. Her face was turning red and her overweight body shook under her long flowing dress and dramatic blue and green scarf.

"Principal Figgins' office now!" she barked at the two, adjusted her glasses and stalked off.

Quinn and Rachel scrambled out of the rabbit hole and into the principal's office as fast as possible. They didn't even have time to consult each other because they were both so panicked.

The blonde felt her heart drop when she saw the theatre director standing with Coach Sylvester in the office with Figgins. The director was flailing her arms and looking between Coach Sylvester and Figgins.

Rachel gently took her hand and offered a reassuring squeeze although she wasn't really confidant herself that this would turn out well.


	28. Chapter 28

Quinn and Rachel took their seats in front of the principal's desk, both with their hands in their laps like touching or even looking at each other would incriminate them further.

The theatre director was still raving like a lunatic, flailing her arms around like she was on fire. Quinn swore she'd never call Rachel a drama queen again. Even Rachel's infamous diva tantrums were nothing compared to this.

"They defiled that stage!" the woman pointed accusingly at them.

Sue crossed her arms; "You took me away from planning the acrobatics routine for this? How exactly did they defile it?"

"They were fornicating in the orchestra pit," the madwoman widened her eyes at Figgins.

Rachel, who was utterly horrified that one that woman said she was fornicating and two that she accused them of doing it at school…during school hours. "We most certainly were not!" Rachel shot out of her chair.

The theatre teacher looked at Coach Sylvester, hoping to recruit her on her side, "On one of the cheerleading stunt mats."

Quinn was quiet as she watched horrified, as Rachel and the director got into a yelling match while Figgins tried to calm them down. Sue for once was quiet and contemplative which made Quinn all the more nervous.

To make matters worse the bell rang, releasing everyone from class. So now the entire student body could watch through the transparent wall of Principal Figgins's office.

"Oh god Quinn actually killed those freshmen," Santana shook her head as she and Brittany passed the office.

"We're done here," Sue finally stated, with authority and finality effectively silencing everyone in the room. She looked at Quinn, "C'mon Q." Sue turned around and started walking out of the office. She added like it was an afterthought. "You too short stack."

Quinn was already scrambling to follow Sue and Rachel was shocked for a few seconds before she quickly followed.

Both girls felt their hearts speed with panic when they realized Sue was leading them back to the scene of the crime. Sue led the way inside and walked over to the still-open trap door. She peered inside, then the thoughtful look blanketed her face. She started talking to herself, "If we put that one on top of the one we already have out, we could probably get away with using that giant slingshot I saw on eBay." She turned to Quinn, "Who is the smallest girl on the team?"

Quinn's mind raced through the whole team. Technically as far as weight and frame, Santana was probably the smallest, but when coach mentioned a slingshot Quinn figured it was dangerous so she offered up one of the freshmen that slushied Rachel.

Coach nodded, "Alright. Get that mat out of there and bring it to the gym." She paused to look at Rachel, "You're small. How do you handle heights?"

Rachel froze in place, "I throw up and I…pass out and I get a nose bleed…. seizures…"

"Too bad," Sue stated before she walked out of the theatre.

Quinn looked at Rachel in utter bewilderment. The brunette breathed a sigh of relief over what she deemed two rather large bullets.

When Quinn's mind started to move again, she peered down in the hole, "I think Coach Sylvester wants you to be a Cheerio."

"Not if she's shooting me out of a giant sling shot," Rachel shook her head.

"So you would if she didn't want to shoot you out of a sling shot?" Quinn asked, looking back at Rachel.

The shorter girls shrugged, "Probably not. I've thought about it and as nice as it would be to stop getting slushied, I'll leave the pompoms to you. I put enough pressure on myself. I don't need the rest of the school to put it on me."

Quinn looked at Rachel for a moment, thought clouding over her eyes. Rachel was about to ask what she was thinking about before Quinn unexpectedly did a flip and twist, her arms tightly tucked to her chest, into the orchestra pit before landing on her back on the mat.

Rachel looked down at Quinn who was smiling up at her from the mat, "I'm impressed."

Quinn smiled, "I'm glad my body still remembers how to do my gymnastics moves."

"How come you never do things like that in Cheerios?" Rachel asked, putting some of her hair behind her ear.

"Because I don't want to die," Quinn reached down and moved her skirt up her leg a little, teasing Rachel, "I trust this mat to catch me. The only girls that actually seem to like me at Brittany and Santana and Santana only likes me half the time. Why would they want to catch me?"

"It'd catch you," Rachel smiled sweetly down at Quinn.

The blonde melted at the cheesy yet sweet sentiment. She put her hands behind her head, "Where are we going to make out now that your rabbit hole is gone?"

"Would you please stop calling it a rabbit hole?" Rachel giggled, "It sounds dirty."

"But you are a dirty girl," Quinn teased her.

Rachel shook her head and put her hands on her hips, "Before you dig yourself into a sexless hole, we should probably figure out how to get this out. I'd like to get to class at some point today."

"Fine," Quinn rolled off of the mat and looked around the little room. She was a little disappointed that they weren't really going to have a place to get away from the rest of the student body while at school. Rachel's stack of books and pile of blankets were still in the corner, but she wasn't sure how much comfort the blankets could afford against the concrete floor. Plus, that crazy theatre director would probably be constantly checked on the little hideout for the rest of the school year.

"Should I call Noah?" Rachel asked, straining to see Quinn who had moved directly under her.

"If we call him, he'll want to make out with one or both of us," Quinn reached down and got a grip on the bottom of it. She lifted it off of the ground, but she had to put in some effort. She let it drop with a dull thud, "We can do it."

She looked up at Rachel, studying her for a moment before letting out a sly smile and turning back to the mat.

"What?" Rachel asked.

Quinn shook her head. She wasn't going to tell Rachel that she could totally see up her skirt. She didn't want to end up in a sexless hole, especially when every inch of Rachel set her on fire.

Quinn managed to stand it up on its end so that Rachel could reach the top. The handles on the side proved to be very useful and once Quinn crawled out of the side door, they got it onto the stage.

Getting it to the gym was the easy part. They got some strange looks from passing students and a few of the faculty as they drug it through the halls. When they got to the section of the gym that belonged to the Cheerios, Rachel fell on top of it and sighed, "I really don't work out enough."

Quinn smiled and gently massaged the small of Rachel's back, "C'mon let's get out of here before Coach wants you to test out her new slingshot."

Rachel sprang off of the mat at the thought and drug Quinn laughing out of the gym.

She tapped her pencil on her desk as she stared at the epic poem they were supposed to be reading. She really wasn't in the mood for this. She should have just accepted Quinn's invitation to go back to her house and play in the tent.

A folded up piece of paper fell onto her desk as a red and white Cheerio skirt swished past her. Rachel looked up at Brittany who was returning to her seat one desk behind her and one over her, next to Santana who sat directly behind her.

Rachel carefully unfolded the paper. She read_, __What happened to you and Q?_

Rachel wrote back describing vaguely that they were caught in the theatre orchestra pit under the stage and that the theatre teacher wigged out and called them and Coach Sylvester to the principal's office. She went on to explain that neither she nor Quinn had gotten into trouble because Coach Sylvester wanted to shoot someone out of a sling shot.

She subtly passed the note behind her and Brittany took it. Santana leaned over to read it with Brittany before they both wrote back. Santana poked Rachel in the back. Rachel reached her behind her and felt the paper hit her palm.

Brittany's response was first written in purple ink all bubbly. Somehow Brittany even managed to make her written words seem happy. _Coach already has the slingshot. She's hiding it behind her desk so that Figgins doesn't find it. Glad you too didn't get in trouble! _Rachel smiled as her eyes moved to Santana's carefully written words. _Thanks for the mental image of you and Q in the act. I so did NOT need that. _Rachel giggled to herself.

"Okay," the teacher stood from her desk, "Now that everyone has had a chance to read the poem, you can discuss it amongst yourselves."

Rachel heard a groan from a little farther behind her and turned in time to see Puck sleepily lift his head from the desk. She shook her head and turned around in her chair. She looked at Santana, "How is Coach Sylvester going to slingshot someone without killing them?"

Santana shrugged, "No idea."

"Hey," Puck slunk to the empty chair behind Santana, "What are we supposed to be doing?"

"Who cares?" Santana rolled her eyes.

Puck rubbed his eyes and then ran his palms over his mohawk. "I need a beer."

Rachel was about to comment when she felt her phone buzzed in her sweater pocket. Or more appropriately Quinn's sweater pocket. Rachel had a chill while they were walking back to class and Quinn got it out of her locker insisting that Rachel wear it.

Speaking of the devil, Rachel opened the text she just received from Quinn. _What are you up to?_

Rachel replied just as Puck said something to them. She wasn't really listening as she typed away. _Nothing really. Talking to Brittany and Santana about the slingshot :) _She looked up from her phone to find two Cheerios and a mohawked football player looking at her expectantly. "I'm sorry what?"

"Is that the dude that you dumped Finn for?" Puck hitched his chin toward the phone in her hand.

Rachel let out an amused smiled, "Definitely not." Her phone buzzed again. Back to her conversation with Quinn. _Coach is going to kill someone. I hope it's that bitch of a freshman. Tell B & S I say what's up._

Rachel relayed the messaged and Brittany grinned, "Tell her I said nothing." The she paused and thought about how that sounded. Then she added, "I mean tell her I said hi."

"Why doesn't she just text me herself?" Santana droned and dropped her chin in her palm.

_Brittany and Santana say hi back._

"You're texting Quinn?" Puck asked curiously.

Rachel nodded, like it was no big deal. She turned back to her phone which buzzed again. Before she could read the next text Puck's voice cut though her thoughts. "Oh no damn way."

"What?" Rachel looked up trying not to look as guilty as possible.

A slightly perverted smile took over his face, "You and Quinn are totally hooking up. I can't believe I haven't seen it before."

Santana whipped out her phone while Rachel was stumbling for something to say.

Quinn picked up her phone as Finn moved her table and sat down next to her, "I don't get any of this."

"Hold on a sec," Quinn opened the text from Santana. It read one word. _Mayday_

As she was texting Santana back a text from Brittany interrupted her. _Puck knows about you and Rachel._

"You're super bff's now and she always has that 'I just got laid' smile on her face," Puck laid out all the evidence that he had been unknowingly collecting. "I just thought that Sam was getting lucky, but she dumped him. For you."

Rachel just looked at him, frozen in place. She could already hear people whispering about it behind her.

"Did you hear that?"

"I know right? Quinn and that girl? What's her name anyway?"

Quinn tapped her fingers on the table as texts kept coming from random people who she had no idea how they got her number or how word that traveled so fast. Even Finn's phone was receiving texts. Before he could open any of them, Quinn took his phone from him. "Before you open those. There's something I have to tell you and it may be hard for you, but I want you to hear it from me."

"What?" he looked confused, "Are you pregnant again?"

Quinn rolled her eyes, "No. I've been sorta…a lot…kinda dating Rachel."

Finn stared at her for a good two minutes before she sighed, "Are you going to say something?"

His lips started moving and she could barely make out his quiet whisper, "Mailman, mailman."

"Perv!" she smacked him in the arm and tossed his phone back onto the table in front of him.

Before Rachel could manage any sort of answer, the bell rang. There were people practically running out the door to tell everyone they knew about the newfound information.

She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and saw Brittany smiling softly at her, "I'm sure they're just excited about their next class."

"Yeah right," Rachel stood up and pulled her sweater as tight as possible around herself.

"If it makes you feel any better," Santana says with absolutely no trace of sympathy in her voice, "I didn't think you could keep it a secret this long."

When Rachel exited the classroom, she saw Quinn leaning against the lockers on the opposite side of the hall. Her face was unreadable as she watched people walk by but when Quinn saw Rachel she smiled softly. Rachel made her way over.

"I'm so sorry," Rachel started to explain, but Quinn silenced her with a well-placed kiss. When the blonde pulled away Rachel's eyes widened and her mouth was slightly open.

"After Finn finished being a perv and picturing us making out, he was pissed at me," Quinn shrugged, "I guess I'll be getting dirty looks from him for the rest of the semester."

"Did you tell him how long it's been going on?" Rachel asked, glancing over her shoulder seeing the giant of a boy she used to date staring at them.

Quinn followed her eyes and possessively slid her hand into Rachel's threading their fingers together. "No, but I don't think it'll be long before he finds out."

Rachel looked down at their joined hands. She could feel the heat from Quinn's hand and a million eyes staring at them both. She swallowed hard and looked at Quinn who was shooting a glare right back at Finn.

"If he doesn't stop staring at me I'm gonna-" Quinn trailed off when she saw Rachel staring at their hands. She immediately realized what she had done unconsciously, "Oh, I'm sorry I just thought since everyone knew that you'd be okay with it."

Rachel looked up at Quinn. After she looked over Quinn's face and probed her eyes, she let out a smile, "I was scared that you wouldn't be okay with it."

Quinn let out a matching smile, "I'm the head Cheerio-"

"Co-head Cheerio," Santana called from across the hall.

The blonde rolled her eyes, "Whatever. I'm the co-head Cheerio and no one is going to say shit. And since you're dating the head Cheerio-"

"Co-head Cheerio," Santana interrupted again with Brittany and Puck snickering next to her, "And can you speak up? We can hear what you're saying?"

Quinn surveyed the halls. She called to the mass of people with their eyes on Rachel and Quinn, "Listen up! Rachel is my girlfriend. If you mess with her, you mess with me! Got it?" She found Karofsky in the crowd and made sure he nodded before she turned back to Rachel. "That means no more slushies for you."

Rachel threw her arms around Quinn's neck and Quinn was content to just hold her like that even though half the school was staring at them. She'd never been more comfortable being herself. It was a long hard road to get there, but in the end it was totally worth it if Rachel would hug her like that all the time.

"Q-Quinn?" a small voice came from behind Quinn. Rachel pulled away to allow Quinn to address the speaker.

Quinn turned around to find the two girls that had slushied Rachel earlier in the day. She growled, "What do you want?"

"We wanted to apologize," the other one explained, "We had no idea that she was your girlfriend…we just…"

"You know what, it's best that you never speak directly to me again," Quinn looked at both of them, "Get to class and make sure you're performance at practice today is flawless. Cuts are Friday and I'd hate for you to get cut because you missed a step."

They both exchanged a panicked look and turned around, scampering away down the hall.

Quinn found Santana's eyes and jerked her head toward the girls. The co-head Cheerio smiled devilishly the way only Santana could and stole two slushies from a group of football players talking down the hallway, before following the freshman down the hallway with Brittany on her heels.

"You really don't have to torture those poor girls," Rachel told Quinn although it made her giddy that Quinn was doing it for her.

Quinn bend down and rested her forehead on Rachel's forehead, "No one messes with my girlfriend like that. I have to make sure no one else ever will."

Rachel smiled wider than before if that was at all possible, "You called me your girlfriend."

"Because you are," Quinn pressed her lips to Rachel's and slowly pulled away, "Now c'mon I have to get you to class so I can run to the locker room and steal those girls' clothes while they're in the shower."

Rachel laughed and took Quinn's hand as they walked down the hallway. She could already see the stares start to fade out. Soon this would all be normal and no one would look twice, unless of course they were making out in the hallway.

* * *

That's the end. Thanks for reading and all of your generous reviews.


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